Fixes for Windows 11, 10 not opening Registry Editor

In order to fix a Windows System error, we go to the Registry Editor. It is comprised of a large number of registry keys that can be tweaked properly to solve most issues. However, the Registry editor might also hang in very rare cases.

Users have reported seeing this error when they try to search for a key that doesn't exist in the system. Even if you don't cancel the search, the application hangs with the following message when you try to cancel it.

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The root cause of the problem is the length of the subkey. The error is seen if the subkey is more than 255 bytes long. However, sometimes this is also due to a virus or malware.

Do not panic if you notice this issue on your system. We'll discuss the solutions in this article.

Fix 1: Rename regedit.exe and try again

1. Open the Windows Explorer window holding the keys Windows+E.

2. Paste the following location and press Enter.

"C:\Windows\System32\"

3. In the opening window, scroll down to locate the regedit32.exe icon.

4. Once you find the icon, right-click on it and select the Copy.

Click on regedit32.exe and hold Ctrl+C to copy the file.

5. Go to the Desktop and paste this file.

6. Now, click on the file and press the F2 key to rename the file

7. Rename the file to something else. Say, regedit32-test.exe

8. To open the file, double-click it.

The Registry editor should open.

Check if this helps you resolve the issue.

Fix 2: Run an SFC and DISM Scan

1. Open the Run dialog using the keys Windows+R at the same time.

2. Type cmd and hold the keys Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open the Command Prompt in Admin mode.

3. In the User Access Control Prompt that opens, click on the Yes button.

4. In the command prompt window that opens, enter the below command and hit Enter.

"DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /restorehealth"

5. Note that the scan will take some minutes to finish. Please wait patiently.

6. Once the scan is done, restart the system

"sfc /scannow"

7. Open the Command Prompt again and enter the below command:

6. In the terminal, type the below command and press Enter.

7. Wait patiently till the scan completes.

8. Once done, restart the system.

Check to see if the issue has been resolved.

To restore the system to a previous point, perform a system restore if this does not work. It is important to note that this option only works if the restore point was previously configured.

That’s all.

This article has hopefully been informative. Thanks for reading.

Comment and tell us how you fixed the problem. We'll be happy to assist you if you encounter any problems.