Wikipedia defines the windows registry as a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options for Microsoft operating systems; to understand us it’s a kind of guide that the operating system follows to know how to behave and where things are, and of course there is the possibility of editing it by hand to change the behavior of Windows. But, as it is something quite delicate, in this article we are going to tell you how to make a backup copy to restore it later in case you touch something you shouldn’t and want to leave everything as is.
Although you may never have used it before, the Windows Registry has been around for a long time (it was first used in Windows 3.1) and it can be a very powerful tool for changing registry settings. your computer, because it has been around since Windows for a long time as well. incorporated the Registry Editor, which allows us to modify it manually. But of course, being something so important, it’s also tricky and it’s easy to screw up and damage something, so it’s always a good idea to make a backup before changing anything, just in case.
How to Backup Windows Registry
In fact, it is a very simple task and it has no mystery, and it is that almost the most difficult thing is to remember to make a backup copy before modifying anything. To do this, the first thing you have to do is logically open the Windows registry editor, and for this you can right click on the Windows icon, select Run and in the window that opens , write “regeditwithout the quotes and press OK, or you can click Start and directly type “Registry Editor” (without the quotes too) to access it.
When accessing Registry Editor, you will encounter a window like the one you see above these lines. We’re not going to tell you what each thing is for and we’re going to jump straight to the option of making a backup copy. To do this, simply click on the File menu and then select the “Export…” option. A window similar to the one that appears when you want to save a document will open, and you only have to select the path where you want to save it and give it a name.
Just name it whatever you want (we recommend you do as we did and write the date, or maybe something that reminds you of what you’re going to change next to remember) and press Register. It’s done, now you have made your backup copy of the registry (yes, be patient because although the backup copy takes up little space, it can take several seconds to save since it is a database data with literally thousands of entries).
What if you want to restore a backup?
If you made a registry backup or backup and want to restore it to leave the Windows Registry as it was when you saved the copy, nothing could be simpler: just go to the location where you have saved the file (which will have a .reg extension) and double-click it. The system will ask you if you are sure, as the settings will be overwritten.
Just tap Yes, wait a few seconds and you will have restored the backup. Alternatively, you can access the Registry Editor and go to the menu File -> Import. It’s the reverse process, you’ll have to manually navigate to the file location and select it, but the effect is exactly the same as double-clicking the backup file directly.
