RegScanner (64-bit)

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 14, 2012

NirSoft's RegScanner is a lightweight, portable tool that searches the Windows registry for specific values, displaying its findings in a simple list view that lets you quickly access specific results. You can view the properties of registry values, open items in their containing folder, or double-click items to open them directly in the Windows Registry Editor (RegEdit). RegScanner is easy to use, even for beginners, but our usual caution about changing things in the registry applies to RegScanner since it's perfectly capable of deleting keys as well as copying, saving, and exporting them. We recommend utmost caution when poking around in the registry, and only changing values when you're sure you know what you're doing. If you're confident editing the registry, RegScanner definitely makes things easier. RegScanner comes in separate versions for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. We sampled the 64-bit download.

RegScanner is portable freeware that runs as soon as you click it. The program opens with two windows displayed: the main list view for displaying results, and the Registry Scan Options sheet, which is where you not only configure searches but initiate them. We'd recently installed an SSD as a boot drive in a Windows PC. Optimizing the drive for Windows 7 often involves making changes to the registry, such as disabling unneeded features and processes. We opened RegEdit, browsed the tree view, and copied a particular key. We pasted it into RegScanner, made our selections, and clicked OK. RegScanner displayed its search results as it found them in the program's main window. We could add grid lines, choose column headings, and make other changes to this simple but efficient view or right-click any item to delete, export, or copy it, generate HTML reports, and access the program's options. The program also offers optional tool tips, opens clipboard text in RegEdit, loads configurations from files, and creates delete REG files.

RegScanner quickly found whatever we asked it to, whether broad or narrow searches, and opened items quickly in RegEdit. We can recommend it highly to any user who needs to search the registry, with the usual cautions.