F5F Stay Refreshed Software General Software Looking for free software that can read and change Windows Registry entries, like folders in the system?

Looking for free software that can read and change Windows Registry entries, like folders in the system?

Looking for free software that can read and change Windows Registry entries, like folders in the system?

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Broflash
Senior Member
740
09-09-2026, 08:02 PM
#1
Hi, I have two REG files from two different PCs and I want to look at them side by side. It is way too many entries to open one in a text editor (one file is 25MB), so I need something that opens the REG file like it does in regedit but shows folders instead of just lines. I can't find any tool for this, all I see are fake regedit programs or things like notepad++ or winmerge that only show plain text files. Is there a real option for what I need? Any portable tools would be fine too. Thanks.
B
Broflash
09-09-2026, 08:02 PM #1

Hi, I have two REG files from two different PCs and I want to look at them side by side. It is way too many entries to open one in a text editor (one file is 25MB), so I need something that opens the REG file like it does in regedit but shows folders instead of just lines. I can't find any tool for this, all I see are fake regedit programs or things like notepad++ or winmerge that only show plain text files. Is there a real option for what I need? Any portable tools would be fine too. Thanks.

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SeedyplaysMC
Junior Member
44
09-09-2026, 08:55 PM
#2
Thanks for the replies, but I wanted a way to show REG files as folders just like in regedit so I could compare them manually. Anyway that's solved now with this link: https://4sysops.com/archives/regedit-as-...ry-editor/. It's not super practical, but it worked for me.
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SeedyplaysMC
09-09-2026, 08:55 PM #2

Thanks for the replies, but I wanted a way to show REG files as folders just like in regedit so I could compare them manually. Anyway that's solved now with this link: https://4sysops.com/archives/regedit-as-...ry-editor/. It's not super practical, but it worked for me.

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CrashingWaves
Member
69
09-10-2026, 10:56 AM
#3
There are several ways to compare files using PowerShell, so here is a list of options plus links for more info: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/scripting...two-files/ and https://learn-inside.com/how-to-compare-...owershell/. Another tool you can try is Python: https://learn-inside.com/how-to-compare-...owershell/. But be careful to test anything in a separate environment first, just in case something breaks. Then you can copy the files over and try again. You'll probably find scripts or apps already made that work for you, or easily change them if needed.
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CrashingWaves
09-10-2026, 10:56 AM #3

There are several ways to compare files using PowerShell, so here is a list of options plus links for more info: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/scripting...two-files/ and https://learn-inside.com/how-to-compare-...owershell/. Another tool you can try is Python: https://learn-inside.com/how-to-compare-...owershell/. But be careful to test anything in a separate environment first, just in case something breaks. Then you can copy the files over and try again. You'll probably find scripts or apps already made that work for you, or easily change them if needed.

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HUGESTWAFFLE
Junior Member
23
09-30-2026, 01:06 AM
#4
I think you should forget about how trees look when comparing things. If you are just looking at text files, I suggest using Winmerge instead. You can get a link to their free version here: https://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/...1-portable
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HUGESTWAFFLE
09-30-2026, 01:06 AM #4

I think you should forget about how trees look when comparing things. If you are just looking at text files, I suggest using Winmerge instead. You can get a link to their free version here: https://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/...1-portable

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EisTeeKlaus
Senior Member
490
10-05-2026, 04:07 PM
#5
Thanks for the answers, but I wanted a way to see the REG files as folders like in regedit so I could compare them manually. Anyway that's solved my problem with this link: https://4sysops.com/archives/regedit-as-...ry-editor/ Not too practical, but it works what I needed.
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EisTeeKlaus
10-05-2026, 04:07 PM #5

Thanks for the answers, but I wanted a way to see the REG files as folders like in regedit so I could compare them manually. Anyway that's solved my problem with this link: https://4sysops.com/archives/regedit-as-...ry-editor/ Not too practical, but it works what I needed.