The Windows Registry Editor serves as a critical and secure database that offers a wide range of configurations utilized by both the operating system and software applications. However, this database stores critical information, settings, sections, and preferences. You can easily access the Registry Editor to make any changes within your system or troubleshoot issues on your computers. It’s a useful tool that Windows allows you to access with ease.
However, several users encounter issues with the Registry Editor on their Windows 11 operating system. This can be irritating, especially when you’re trying to access this tool for troubleshooting purposes or making any changes within the system. If you find yourself in such a situation, don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the effective solutions that you can use to troubleshoot and resolve them on your own.
Ways to Fix Registry Editor Not Working on Windows 11
Here, we’ve mentioned the solution that will help resolve the Registry Editor not working on your Windows 11 operating system. So, let’s discuss them one by one.
1. Run Registry Editor As Admin
If you are unable to access Registry Editor on your Windows 11 operating system normally, you should run Registry Editor as an Admin on your computer. This will help you in fixing the error and you’ll get back to access the Registry Editor.
To run Registry Editor as an administrator on your Windows 11, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Windows icon in the taskbar to open the Start Menu.
2. In the search bar, type Registry Editor and click Run as administrator.
3. Under the User Account Control (UAC) menu, click Yes to access the Registry Editor.
2. Run SFC and DISM Scan
Registry Editor won’t function properly if the system files on your Windows computer get corrupted. The corrupted system files can make Windows and other programs unresponsive.
In that scenario, you should run an SFC (System File Checker) scan. This will automatically detect and replace the corrupted or missing system files and you’ll get back to access the program again.
To run the SFC and DISM scan on your Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. In the search bar, type Command Prompt and click Run as administrator to open it with admin right.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type the below command and hit Enter.
sfc / scannow
4. Once the SFC scanning is finished, it’s time to use the DISM Tool. For that, type the below commands on the Command Prompt and hit Enter.
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
5. After that, try checking if the Registry Editor is working on your Windows 11 PC.
3. Restart Your Computer
Restarting the device is one of the powerful workarounds that resolves software issues and glitches. However, it also improves the overall performance of the device. If you’re unable to access Registry Editor on your Windows 11 operating system, then it could be due to software conflicts and glitches.
The best way to resolve the problem is to restart your Windows 11 computer, as this removes software issues and glitches that are causing issues with the Registry Editor.
To restart your Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. In the Start Menu, you’ll see the Power menu icon at the right bottom, click on it.
3. Then select the Restart option from the menu that appears.
4. Replace Broken Regedit File
If the Registry Editor executable file is damaged or corrupted on your computer, you won’t be able to access Registry Editor anymore. Make sure to replace the broken Registry Editor file with a new one and try checking the results.
To replace a broken Regedit file on your Windows PC, follow these steps:
1. Open the Start Menu.
2. In the search bar, type Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
3. In the Command Prompt window, run the below commands and hit Enter after each.
takeown /f “C:\Windows\regedit.exe”
icacls “C:\Windows\regedit.exe” /grant “%username%”:F
4. After running the commands, press the Windows + E keys together to open File Explorer on your PC.
5. Then, navigate to the following folder.
C: \Windows
6. Rename the regedit file to regeditOLD.exe and then allow the permission to make changes.
7. Finally, restart your computer and check if the issue has been fixed.
5. Remove Temporary Files
Most of the time, temporarily stored files on your computer can cause several issues, including the Registry Editor not working issue. To fix such an error, you should remove the files that are temporarily stored on the Windows computer. You can check out our guide on deleting all the temporary files from your system.
Here, we’ll only discuss the temporary files that are essential to remove to fix the Registry Editor issues. To do so, follow the following guide:
1. Press the Windows + R keys together to launch the Run dialog box.
2. In the Run dialog box, type ‘%temp%‘ in the field box and hit Enter.
3. It will take you to the location of temporarily stored files. Here, select all the temporary files by pressing the Ctrl + A shortcut key and click on the Delete option to remove the files.
4. Once the temporary files are deleted, check if the Registry Editor issue has been resolved.
6. Enable Registry Editor From Group Policy
There’s a chance that the Registry Editor is disabled from the Group Policy, preventing the Registry Editor from functioning well. To fix it, you should enable the Registry Editor from the Group Policy settings on your PC.
Remember that the Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. If you’re using the Windows Home edition, you can’t access it anymore on your computer. You can skip this method if you’re using Windows Home Edition.
To enable Registry Editor from Group Policy, follow these steps:
1. Press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run dialog box.
2. Here, type gpedit.msc in the text field and click OK.
3. It will open the Local Group Policy Editor. Under User Configuration, double-click on the Administrative Templates to expand it.
4. Then, navigate to the System folder.
5. Double-click on the Prevent access to registry editing tools policy on the right side.
6. Select the Disabled or Not Configured option from the following window.
7. Finally, click Apply and then OK to apply changes.
Once done, restart your computer, and then you will easily access the Registry Editor on your Windows 11.
7. Install Pending Updates
Sometimes, an outdated Windows system version may be the reason behind the issue because it can cause several issues with applications and other programs. If the Registry Editor is not working on your Windows 11, you are probably running an outdated Windows version. In such a case, you should update the Windows operating system to the latest version.
Try checking whether a Windows update is available on your computer. Windows frequently releases updates to improve the performance of the device by addressing bugs and software issues.
Here’s how you can check for a Windows update on your PC:
1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.
2. Click on the Windows Update tab on the left pane and click Check for updates.
3. Now, your system will automatically check for pending updates.
4. Click on the Download and Install button to install the pending Windows updates if available.
5. Once it is finished, restart your computer.
Note
To update Windows, you must need a stable internet connection to download and install it on your computer. Make sure to connect your computer with a reliable and stable internet connection.
8. Perform System Restore
If you have tried the above solutions and it failed to work out, you can perform System Restore to restore your Windows computer to an earlier state, which means it was free from the issue. After performing the system restore, you can easily get back to access the Registry Editor on your Windows 11.
To perform a system restoration, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Windows icon in the taskbar to open the Start Menu.
2. In the search bar, type in Create a restore point and click Open.
3. Next, click on the System Restore under the System Protection tab.
4. Under the System Restore, click Next.
5. Then, select the desired restore point from the system restore window.
6. Finally, click on the Next button to restore your system settings.
7. Now you’ll see the Confirm your restore point on the screen. Here, you may click on the Scan for affected programs to review all the programs.
8. Once everything is all perfect, click the Finish button and wait for the restore to complete.
9. Once finished, your complete will boot to that system restore point by itself.
Once you have finished the system restore point on your Windows 11 computer, you’ll get back to access the Registry Editor again on your Windows 11 PC.
If you are not getting a system restore point on your system, then System Protection is not enabled on your system. To enable it, you can follow our guide on enabling System Protection on Windows.
Conclusion
The Windows Registry is essential for system and software configurations on Windows 11. When the Registry Editor isn’t working as expected, you can follow any of these troubleshooting methods to resolve the issue.