Windows 10 secretly creates a backup of the Registry in a RegBack folder, and you can use it to restore your PC manually. This is the way.

In most cases, you should not edit the Registry because the database contains the low-level settings required for the operating system and specific applications to function.

Although sometimes you need to edit the Registry to change some settings on Windows 10, you should be aware that the little error can cause many problems, even preventing your computer from booting.

It is always recommended to back up the Registry before changing any settings, but if you forget to back up, or during the installation of a big update, a certain application, or for some unknown reason, there is—another way to restore Windows 10 PC from a corrupted Registry.

You might not know this, but the OS backs up a working Registry for recovery purposes that you can use to manually restore your PC when you don’t have a backup.

In this tutorial, you will learn the steps to manually restore a previous version of the Registry from its automatic backup on Windows 10.

How to manually restore Registry in Windows 10

To manually restore the Registry on Windows 10, follow these steps:

Warning: Modifying system files can damage your Windows installation system if it is not done correctly. Assume that you know what you are doing and have made a full backup of your computer. Please proceed with caution and use it as the last step of your action.

1. Start your computer using the Advanced startup option

2. Click Troubleshoot.

3. Click Advanced options.

4. Click Command Prompt.

5. When your device starts in Command Prompt, it will begin to X: WindowsSystem32. Now you need to move to the drive letter where Windows is installed. While the operating system is installed into C, when you start your computer in recovery mode, this drive letter changes to something else. However, in many cases, the drive letter is D. Type the following command to enter the correct drive where Windows is installed and press Enter:

 D:

6. Type the following command to verify you are in the correct drive and press Enter :

 Dir

Command Prompt in Advanced startup

If you see the Windows folder, you are in the correct drive letter. Otherwise, go back to step 5 and try another drive.

7. Type the following command to enter the System32 folder and press Enter :

 cd D:  Windows  System32

Remember to change D in the command with the correct drive letters for your script.

Config folder Windows 10

8. Type the following command to create a directory for temporary backup of files in the config directory, also happens to store a copy of the Registry, and press Enter :

 mkdir configBak

9. Type the following command to create a temporary backup of the files in the config directory, and press Enter :

 Copy configBak

Make a backup copy of the Registry on Windows 10

10. Type the following command to navigate inside RegBack, containing a backup copy of the Registry, and press Enter :

 cd config  RegBack

11. Type the following command to verify the contents of the RegBack folder and press Enter :

 Dir

Important: After running the dir command, the file size (SYSTEM, SOFTWARE, SAM, SECURITY, DEFAULT) should be similar to what you see in the screenshot. If any of the files show 0, don’t continue as you won’t be able to repair your Windows 10 computer.

12. Type the following command to copy the files from the RegBack folder into the config folder and press Enter and Y on each question to confirm:

 Copy * ..*

Restore Registry from backup on Windows 10

13. Close Command Prompt to complete the task.