Skip to main content

Windows 10 Insider build finally adds address bar to Registry editor

windows 10 registry address bar
MSPowerUser
Quickly navigating to certain parts of the Windows Registry are about to get a heck of a lot easier, as the registry editor has been given its very own address bar. That means you can not only copy and paste addresses straight into the editor, but you can copy them out, too, to let others know where you ended up.

If you have spent any time troubleshooting PCs over the past couple of decades, there’s a good chance that at least one time you’ve delved into the bowels of the Windows Registry, creating and editing values at the instruction of some long-ago forum post or answered question. While simpler than it looks, navigating through the editor can take time, which is something that this feature update should help avoid.

When implemented, you’ll be able to simply copy and paste in any address, instantly finding yourself jumped to that entry (thanks MSPowerUser).

The only downside is that the pool of users who can access the address bar is limited for now. In typical fashion with Windows 10, Microsoft has rolled the feature out to its Windows Insiders, but only those on the Fast Ring. When some bugs have been ironed out and the feature tested a little more, we’ll see the address bar appear in the Windows registries of Slow Ring Insiders, before eventually becoming available to the rest of us.

Microsoft hasn’t given us any kind of time frame for the update, but it will arrive alongside Windows 10 Build 14942. The current stable release is 10.0.14393.222, so there are a few more versions to go through until then.

Other updates coming alongside the registry address bar include an improved touchpad experience, better frame rates when the Game Bar is enabled, the ability to hide the app list on the start menu, and a number of performance improvements to the Windows Edge browser.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
5 helpful Windows shortcuts you didn’t know about
The keyboard tilted up on the Surface Pro 8.

Along with a mouse, the keyboard is the core way to interact with your PC, so you're probably familiar with common shortcuts in Windows like cutting, copying, and pasting.

But did you know there are several shortcuts that go beyond just these basics? From triggering the Xbox Game Bar for screen recordings to opening File Explorer, we take a look at five of these helpful shortcuts that you probably didn't know about and how they can save you time during your busy day.
Windows Key + E to open File Explorer

Read more
Microsoft adds message on unsupported PCs running Windows 11
Windows 11 device sitting on a stool.

With the right tweaks, it has always been possible to run Windows 11 on devices that do not meet minimum specs, but Microsoft is now taking this practice more seriously. Just a month after banner messages first appeared for select Windows Insiders running the operating system on unsupported PCs, Microsoft is now pushing bigger warning messages out to Windows Insiders regarding this matter.

Reportedly, the latest Windows Insider Beta and Release Preview builds of Windows 11 add a watermark to the desktop reading: System requirements not met, go to settings to learn more. This latest Microsoft move has been confirmed by multiple Twitter users, one of which shared the screenshot below. Microsoft didn't confirm the rollout of the messaging in any changelogs, but Digital Trends did notice it on one of our unsupported systems.

Read more
Windows 11’s taskbar may get a handy feature from Windows 10
Laptop sitting on a desk showing Windows 11's built-in Microsoft Teams experience.

If you're a heavy multitasker in Windows 11, you might have noticed that your taskbar might be a little messy when you have too many apps open at once. Windows 10 had a handy overflow feature to help in that situation, and according to a noted Windows leaker on Twitter, it could soon make a comeback on Windows 11.

While Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything about this just yet, @thebookisclosed is the one who has the specifics of the feature. With it, you should be able to see and access all of your open apps in a new overflow bin in the Windows 11 taskbar.

Read more