How to Backup and Restore Windows Registry

Have you ever heard the saying that you should back up the registry before modifying it? While Windows may be very complex, backing up the registry is very simple, and if we use the Registry Editor, we can see the ability to import or export. If you want to edit the registry, you can back it up in just a few steps, so there's no reason not to, after all, if your computer is changed for the worse, it's worth a few minutes of your time to replace a reinstalled system!

Backing Up the Registry

Press WIN+R and type regedit in the pop-up box, then press Enter to open the registry:

In the top toolbar we can see "File", next to it we can see other menus: "Edit", "View", "Favorites" and "Help".

Since we are backing up all of the registries, you must first click on "Computer", then "File", then select "Export" and enter any name you want in the pop-up file save window. in the file save window and enter any name you want, yes it doesn't matter. Our recommendation is to use a name that includes the date and what you are doing so you can recognize it later if you have multiple backups.

For example, the filename will be saved as 00-00-2023.reg and we will know at a glance when this backup was made.

Restore Backup

I think you may have seen the "Import" menu when you clicked on "File" - "Export", yes, restore backup is actually importing the previously backed up files through this "Import" menu.

We recommend that you perform this operation in safe mode, as any file used may be read-only and cause an error. Normally this is not a problem, so if an error occurs, please switch to safe mode and import again.

But please wait! There is another way to import the registry. If you don't have the registry open, simply browse to the backup .reg file and double-click it to open it. The .reg file will automatically run, much like the program you installed, and this will save you the step of opening the registry editor again.

OK, backing up and restoring the registry is easy, but if you don't have any experience with it, we suggest you create a system restore point, just in case!