Windows 11 WinUI 3 Registry Editor sample found in open-source repository

A sample for a modern Registry Editor built with WinUI 3 controls has been found in Microsoft's open-source Microsoft.UI.Reactor repository. While the app exists as an experiment, Microsoft has not announced plans to release it to users or use it to replace regedit.exe. Reports say some users mistook the sample for a new Windows 11 feature.

Photo: Cong Long Vu on Unsplash

The sample uses a two-pane layout with registry keys on the left and values on the right. It removes yellow folder icons, provides more room for menus, and includes a status bar at the bottom to show the current registry path. The app uses a RegistryService class to read and write the registry through .NET's Microsoft.Win32 APIs. It can search with Ctrl+F and allows users to create, rename, or delete keys, as well as add String, Binary, DWORD, QWORD, Multi-String, and Expandable String values.

The sample is currently unfinished. Favorites are not saved after the app closes, and it lacks .reg file import and export functions. Additionally, the Export All function only saves HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. In August, Microsoft design executive Marcus Ash said the company had begun looking at Regedit and other tools.