REG File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .reg
Format Type Text
MIME Type text/plain
Primary Use Registry modifications on Microsoft Windows
Encoding ASCII or Unicode
Header Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 or REGEDIT4
Key-Value Pair Format "KeyName"="Value"
Comment Syntax ; (semicolon for single line comments)
Root Elements HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, etc.
Registry Value Data Types String, Binary, DWORD, etc.
Support for Deleting Keys Prefix with a hyphen (-)
Support for Environment Variables Using %variable% syntax
Version Compatibility Windows 2000 and later
Creation Methods Export from Windows Registry Editor, text editors
Functional Purpose Loading, manipulating, and backing up Windows registry keys
Editability Plain text; editable in text editors
Size Limitations None inherent to format, but performance may be affected with very large files
Importing Method Double-click or through the Registry Editor 'Import' function
Specific Feature Can include instructions for registry permissions changes
Security Risks Can potentially include harmful modifications if from untrusted sources