Tech Tip: Stopping Registry file in Windows from being executable

If you've ever come across the Windows Registry, you'll know that it's a powerful yet much misunderstood tool. regedit.exe can be both helpful and dangerous. If you run a registry file (.reg) without knowing what it contains, you run the risk of damaging Windows.

To make it so registry files can only be added to the registry by right-clicking on the file and left-clicking 'Merge', save the following text to a file called nomerge.reg:


REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\regfile\shell]
@='edit'


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Then run that registry file by double-clicking it. This will be the last registry file you may double-click to run. From now on registry files will open in an editor such as notepad...

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