Windows 11’s April update made several tangible improvements to the operating system which made it a bit easier to use. However, they didn’t solve the main reason that I tweak the registry: customization. There are too many customization settings without easily-accessible toggles, and until that changes, the registry will be one of my go-to tools.
April’s improvements fixed problems, not preferences
Windows 11 is functionally a bit better
The updates for Windows that arrived in April focused on problems. Things like performance boosts, File Explorer fixes, a reworked Settings app, and a few reliability fixes are obviously great to see; no one enjoys a buggy OS.
However, these updates are practical. While I appreciate a smoother File Explorer, that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly happy with every design choice in the user interface. Similarly, better Smart App Control options are great, but it doesn’t make me want Bing’s inane web suggestions in the Start Menu or extra clutter clogging up what is supposed to be a local search.
This is where registry tweaks are still useful. They provide an avenue to control extra settings that Microsoft doesn’t make accessible through the Settings menu.
The Windows experience needs registry tweaks
Some registry tweaks don’t have alternatives
Despite improvements to the Settings app over the last 10 years or so, it still hides too many meaningful customization options. Certain behaviors are only accessible through scripts, policy edits, or the registry itself.
For me, editing the registry isn’t about tweaking obscure options. It is about changing many of the default settings in Windows 11 that are worse (subjectively) than what we had in Windows 10, or changing the default behavior of a feature in Windows 11 to be less annoying.
Registry tweaks are also convenient because they’re portable. I can create a handful of registry changes, export them as REG files, and then just rerun them whenever a major update undoes them on my system, or when I reinstall Windows completely. I don’t need to memorize the 15 layers of settings sub-menus—I just double-click some REG files.
I keep my favorite REG files on the same external SSD that stores important ISOs and recovery tools, but you could store yours on any flash drive.
- Storage capacity
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2TB
- Transfer rate
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10 GB/s
- Dimensions
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3.3″L x 2.2″W x 0.3″Th
- Weight
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0.13 Pounds
The Samsung T7 is a USB 3.2 external SSD with read/write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s.
There are a handful of registry tweaks that I always use, and they’re great examples of exactly the sort of shortcoming that April’s update didn’t fix.
Some of these have partial alternatives now, using the registry is still the easiest way to keep them consistent.
I always restore the classic right-click menu because the modern version hides essential commands behind a “Show more options” click. If you use image utilities or shell extensions, that extra click becomes annoying very quickly and literally never stops. Restoring the legacy menu isn’t just an aesthetic choice, it is functional.
The new right-click context menu is also harder to tidy up if it gets too busy, while the old one can easily be modified using the registry or third-party tools.
The 7 Best Registry Hacks for Windows 11
Half the fun of owning a Windows PC is tweaking it to get it exactly how you want it.
Add End Task to the right-click
One of the most useful registry hacks I use adds an “End Task” button to the taskbar right-click menu. It is a small change, but over the course of a week, it saves me a lot of time when something I’m experimenting with invariably breaks.
End Task can be enabled via the Settings menu now, but has moved at least once, while the registry key I use has remained the same. It saves me the trouble of keeping track of how Microsoft is shuffling the Settings menu.
Disable Bing search
By default, whenever you search for something using the Start menu, it also searches Bing. I always disable Bing Search on every Windows PC.
When I search my system, I want to see local files and apps, not a web search. Since Microsoft still hasn’t provided a simple toggle, I’m forced to use the registry to disable Bing’s intrusive search suggestions.
Get rid of the recommended section
For most of Windows 11’s history, I also used the registry to remove the Recommend section from the Start Menu. Disabling Recent Files in the Settings left a huge area of empty, wasted space, but the registry hack freed up extra space for the apps that I actually want to see and use.
Recent changes to the Start Menu have made that a bit less important than it used to be, though not every instance of Windows 11 that I use is updated, so I keep the REG files around anyway.
Better still isn’t personal enough
There is no disputing April’s Windows 11 update had a few good things in it. After all, practical improvements might not be exciting, but they are important.
However, they still don’t solve the broad problems of customizability and convenience that Windows 11 has, and that is why I continue to rely on the registry for a lot of things instead.
Until Windows gets an option to toggle off Bing, make more substantive changes to the right-click context menu, and settles firmly on a layout for the settings app, I’ll keep using Registry hacks for the foreseeable future.