How to Add Registry Editor to Control Panel in Windows

In the older times, operating systems as well as the third party applications stored all of their settings using local files. Windows itself used the INI configuration files to store various settings in the earlier versions. But later they developed a much more secure and robust way to store the settings, values and other data. The data stored in the Windows Registry can be accessed and modified either through the Windows API or through the Windows Registry Editor.

Windows API is used primarily by the programmers who want to store or access the Windows registry behind the screen. But for the rest of us, Windows Registry Editor is the only way to make changes in the registry. Registry Editor is a widely used application for system administrators. Wouldn’t it be great, if you could access it from Control Panel? If your answer is yes, then it can be done pretty easily. You need to have administrator level access to do so. Here is how you can proceed:

  1. Download the following zip archive file, and unzip it to a folder : Download add_regedit_cpl.zip
  2. Double-click on the add_regedit.reg and choose Yes when prompted.
  3. Now go and see the Control Panel and you will definitely find it there.Registry Editor in Control Panel

If later for some reasons, you want to remove Registry Editor’s shortcut from the Control Panel, then find and double-click on rem_regedit.reg from the downloaded file and answer Yes when a prompt comes.