Posted by Registry Editor (.reg) files are powerful tools for modifying Windows settings and adding customizations to the operating system. In this blog post, we’ll explore ten cool .reg file tricks that you can use to enhance and personalize your Windows experience. These tricks range from adding useful options to the right-click context menu to customizing system behaviors. Let’s dive in!
To execute all these :
- Open Notepad on your computer.
- Copy and paste the above code into Notepad.
- Save the file with a “.reg” extension (e.g., “fakeBSOD.reg”).
- Double-click the saved file to merge it into the registry.
- Add “Take Ownership” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
@="Take Ownership"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"Extended"=""
"NoWorkingDirectory"=""
"ShowBasedOnVelocityId"=dword:00639bc8
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas\command]
@="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
"IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
This .reg file adds a “Take Ownership” option to the right-click context menu, allowing you to quickly take ownership of files or folders.
- Add “Open with Notepad” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad]
@="Open with Notepad"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Open with Notepad\command]
@="notepad.exe %1"
This .reg file adds an “Open with Notepad” option to the right-click context menu for all file types, enabling you to easily edit files with Notepad.
- Add “Copy to Folder” and “Move to Folder” Options to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To]
@="{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Move To]
@="{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}"
This .reg file adds “Copy to Folder” and “Move to Folder” options to the right-click context menu, providing convenient file management options.
- Add “God Mode” Shortcut:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}]
@="GodMode"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}\Shell\Open\Command]
@="explorer.exe shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}"
This .reg file creates a “God Mode” shortcut that provides access to all Windows settings and administrative tools in one place.
- Add “Restart Explorer” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\Restart Explorer]
@="Restart Explorer"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\Restart Explorer\command]
@="taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe"
This .reg file adds a “Restart Explorer” option to the right-click context menu of the desktop background, allowing you to quickly restart the Windows Explorer process.
- Add “Open Command Window Here” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\cmd]
@="Open Command Window Here"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\cmd\command]
@="cmd.exe /s /k pushd \"%V\""
This .reg file adds an “Open Command Window Here” option to the right-click context menu of folder backgrounds, enabling you to open a Command Prompt window at the selected location.
- Add “Hibernate” Option to Power Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hibernate]
@="Hibernate"
"icon"="powrprof.dll,-1"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\hibernate\command]
@="shutdown /h /f"
This .reg file adds a “Hibernate” option to the power menu, allowing you to quickly hibernate your computer for power-saving purposes.
- Add “Empty Recycle Bin” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shell\Empty Recycle Bin]
@="Empty Recycle Bin"
"Icon"="imageres.dll,-50"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\shell\Empty Recycle Bin\command]
@="cmd.exe /c rd /s /q %systemdrive%\\$Recycle.bin"
This .reg file adds an “Empty Recycle Bin” option to the right-click context menu of the Recycle Bin, allowing you to quickly empty it.
- Add “Lock” Option to Taskbar Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Lock]
@="Lock"
"icon"="shell32.dll,47"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Lock\command]
@="rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation"
This .reg file adds a “Lock” option to the context menu of the taskbar, enabling you to quickly lock your computer.
- Add “Pin to Start” Option to Context Menu:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\PinToStartMenu]
@="Pin to Start Menu"
"Icon"="shell32.dll,41"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\PinToStartMenu\command]
@="powershell -command \"if(@(Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.StartMenuExperienceHost) -eq $null) { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register \"$($_.MenuExtenderVerb)}\""
This .reg file adds a “Pin to Start” option to the right-click context menu for all file types, allowing you to quickly pin files or folders to the Start menu.
Conclusion:
These ten .reg file tricks are just a glimpse of the many ways you can customize and enhance your Windows experience using Registry Editor. From adding useful options to the context menu to tweaking system behaviors, the possibilities are endless. Just remember to use
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