We all are aware that Registry in Windows is an integral part that contains information, settings, and many other values for the hardware and programs installed on Windows. 

Usually, it’s not a good practice to edit or modify the registry. The database contains low-level settings necessary for the operating system and some of the apps to work properly. Sometimes, you have to modify or change the registry to specific system settings. If you have forgotten to create a backup during the installation, the registry files get corrupted but, you can still recover registry files using secret Registry backup.

There is an inbuilt scheduled task in Windows 10/8/7 that creates a backup for Windows registry files when the system is idle. Backups are saved in the following location(used in System Restore operation):

C:\Windows\System\System32\config\RegBack

There are several methods(includes third party software) to backup registry files in Windows 10 like you can use “System Restore” or download and install “RegClean Pro” software to quickly backup and restore the entire registry files in Windows 10. In this post, we have listed all the steps on how to “Backup and Restore Registry in Windows 10” with inbuilt and third-party apps tools.

Backup Registry Manually

Open the “Start” menu, type regedit.exe in the search box> hit enter.

In “Registry Editor”, locate and click the registry key that you want to back up.

Click “File”> Export.

In the “Export Registry File” dialogue box, select the location to which you want to save and backup the copy> type a name for the backup file and in the “File name”>click “Save”.

Create Restore Point

Click on “Start”>type “Create a Restore Point”.

Select “Create a restore point” from search results.

Choose “Create” and then follow the steps to create a restore point.

Restore Layout Of Start Menu

If you want to restore your all Start menu layout, follow the below steps:

Open the “Run” bar by pressing Windows and R key together and type “Regedit”>Enter.

Select “HKEY_CURRENT_USER”>right click on it>choose “Delete”. Click “Yes” and exit the registry editor.

Locate the .reg file(saved file) and do double click on it>Hit “Yes”.

Copy the backup “DefaultLayouts.xml” file>Open Run box(Windows+R key together).

Type “%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Shell”>OK.

You will see the Windows Explorer window and paste the copied file>Click “Replace the file destination”> Logout and finish the process.

This is how you can backup and restore the Start menu layout settings on Windows 10.

Windows Apps

Most Windows apps keep their settings file in AppData folders. We have mentioned some of the folder paths for some apps:

Camera- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsCamera_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Alarms & Clock- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Groove Music- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.ZuneMusic_8wekyb3d8bbwe

News- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.BingNews_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Maps- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsMaps_8wekyb3d8bbwe\Settings

Remote Desktop- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.RemoteDesktop_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Weather- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.BingWeather_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Sticky Notes- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Photos- %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Press the Windows and R key together to open the Run dialogue box and paste any of the above keys to save it and create a backup in Windows 10.

In order to restore all files, copy and backup files and navigate the folder’s path>Paste it(backup file), replacing the file in destination.

(Any of the apps shouldn’t be running while performing the above steps).

 Restore Registry Via Backup

Open Registry Editor, to restore registry>At Left pane, select the desired registry(where you have to restore the registry key).

Select the file>do the right-click and select “Import” option>navigate to registry(that you have exported)>Open.

Restore Your Registry Settings

Launch Registry Editor>Select a file>Import.

Locate the backup file>double click to get old settings.

(If you don’t want to go through all these steps, you can simply download “RegClean Pro” software for Windows 10 that will immediately backup your all registry file of the computer. You can also select a particular folder from registry editor to take partial backup).

Features of RegClean Pro Software:

This tool scans invalid registry entries, repairs, and defrags the entire registry.

With optimized and defragged registry editor, the computer becomes more fast and responsive.

It takes backup of the entire registry before scanning the system for invalid registry entries.

This is how you can backup and restore Registry settings on Windows 10 computer, both manually and with third-party software.

Download RegClean Pro

We have mentioned above all the steps to back up and restore registry files on Windows 10 computer, manually and using third party tool. If you have any queries and suggestions regarding backup and restore of Windows apps and settings, feel free to write in the comments section.