5 Best Ways to Fix Registry Editor Not Working on Windows 11 2023

Registry Editor stores critical Windows information, options, settings, and details. Sometimes you may need to edit these registry files to fix various issues or make system-wide changes. However, tinkering with registry files can be difficult if the registry editor becomes unresponsive or stops working.

If Windows constantly crashes every time you access or use Registry Editor, here are some troubleshooting tips that will help.

1. Run SFC and DISM scan

Problems with your PC’s system files can cause Windows and its programs to malfunction. SFC (System File Checker) scan can automatically detect and replace corrupted or missing system files with their cached version. Here’s how to run it.

Step 1: Right-click the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

2nd step: In the console, paste the following command and press Enter.

sfc /scannow

When the scan is complete, you will see a message if there are any errors. You will also get instructions for correcting errors if something goes wrong.

After that, run DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan.

Launch Windows Terminal again with administrative privileges, run the following commands and press Enter after each one:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

DISM will connect to Windows Update online to download system files if needed. Restart your PC after running the above commands and see if you can use Registry Editor.

2. Replace broken Regedit.exe

If the Registry Editor executable file is damaged, you will have trouble accessing it in Windows 11. You can try replacing the damaged Registry Editor file with a new one to see if that helps.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type command promptand select Run as administrator.

2nd step: Run the following commands and press Enter after each:

takeown /f “C:Windowsregedit.exe”
icacls “C:Windowsregedit.exe” /grant “%username%”:F

After executing the above commands, press Windows Key + E to open File Explorer and navigate to the following folder.

C:Windows

Rename it regedit.exe file to regeditOLD.exe and restart your computer.

3. Run the System Maintenance Troubleshooter

Windows system maintenance troubleshooter can automatically detect and fix any irregularity with desktop shortcuts, disk volume, file paths, etc. If you cannot access Registry Editor in Windows, use the Maintenance Troubleshooter. Here’s how.

Step 1: Press Windows key + S to open Windows Search, type control Paneland press Enter.

2nd step: In the Control Panel window, switch the display type to Large Icons and go to Troubleshoot.

Step 3: Under System and Security, click on the Run maintenance tasks option.

From there, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the troubleshooting process. Then see if the problem is still there.

4. Enable Registry Editor from Group Policy

Another reason Registry Editor may not work is if access is disabled from Group Policy. You can use the following steps to regain access.

Note that the Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. So this method will not work for you if you are using Windows Home edition.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc in the Open field and press Enter.

2nd step: Under User Configuration, double-click Administrative Templates to expand it. Next, navigate to the System folder.

Step 3: Double-click the “Prevent access to registry editing tools” policy on your right.

Step 4: Select the Disabled or Not configured option in the next window. Then press Apply followed by OK.

Once you restart your PC, the Registry Editor should work fine.

5. Perform System Restore

If the above solutions don’t work, you can use System Restore to restore Windows to a previous state before the problem started. Here’s how you can go about it.

Step 1: Open the search menu, type create a restore pointand select the first result that appears.

2nd step: Under the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button.

Step 3: Click Next.

Step 4: Select the restore point before the problem occurred.

Step 5: Check the restore point details before clicking Finish.

Your PC will restart and return to the specified restore point. After that, Registry Editor should work normally.

Proceed with caution

You can resort to Registry Editor when doing serious troubleshooting or when making system-level changes. And when Registry Editor does not open, you are often confused. The above troubleshooting solutions may help you resolve the issue when Registry Editor not working in Windows 11.