Making changes to your Windows 10 registry editor and not being 100% of what you’re doing can be disastrous. If you make the smallest mistake, you can cause damage such as making your computer freeze, having an unbootable computer, and random computer crashes.
If you’re tech-savvy, you can make all the changes you want and get the results you want. With the Registry Editor, being almost sure doesn’t cut it, unless you don’t care what happens to your computer. If you share your computer, it’s best that you restrict access to the registry editor.
How to Block Access to the Registry Editor for a Standard Account
If this is the first time that you’re accessing the Registry Editor or know very little about it, it’s best that you read the basics about it first. The following instructions are elementary, but if you misunderstand even a single step, you could cause some severe damage to your computer.
Since the account you’re modifying is a standard account, you’ll need to make it an administrative account temporarily. Don’t forget to remove the administrative privileges once you’re done. In the Cortana search bar, type regedit and click on the Registry Editor when it appears.
When the Registry Windows is open, follow these steps: HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies > System.
Creating a new value in that system key is necessary. To do this right-click on an empty space in the system key and choose New > DWORD (32-bit). Name the new value DisableRegistryTools. Once it’s created double click on it to open the properties box. Locate the value and change it to 0 and click OK.
There is no need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. Just leave the Registry Editor and try to open it again. You should get an error message telling you that the Registry has been disabled by the administrator.
To give the user access to the Registry again, you’ll need to use the Command Prompt. Remember that if you try to open the Registry the way you opened it the first time, you’ll get that error message. Type Command Prompt in the Cortana search bar and click on the option.
When it’s open type or paste the following command:
reg add “HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System” /t Reg_dword /v DisableRegistryTools /f /d 0
This command is going to change the value back to zero so that the user can reaccess the Registry.
How to Block Access to Registry Editor – Pro and Enterprise Windows Users
If the Windows version you have is either Pro or Enterprise, the best way to block access to the Registry Editor is through the Local Group Policy Editor. If you only type Local Group, Cortana will still bring up the option. Once it’s open go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System.
When you click on System, a series of options and one of them should be Prevent access to registry editing tools. Double-click on this last option and the properties box should open.
Make sure that you’ve selected the Enabled option and that under the Options section, the Disable regedit from running silently is set to Yes. It’s vital that you set it to Yes because if left unchanged, a less-experienced user can apply preconfigured REG file by using them from the Command Line with the silent option. Don’t forget to click OK. Once the window disappears, the changes are implemented immediately.
Conclusion
The complaints you might get the user that can’t make any changes in the Registry and far better than having to buy a new computer. The less-experienced user may think they know what they’re doing, but things can get complicated and fast.
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