Registry - PowerShell command help and examples

Provides access to the system registry keys and values from Windows PowerShell. (Registry)

... Examples      
PROVIDER NAME 
    Registry 

DRIVES 
    HKLM:, HKCU: 

 SYNOPSIS
 
    Provides access to the system registry keys and values from Windows PowerShell. 

 DESCRIPTION
 
    The Windows PowerShell Registry provider lets you get, add, change, clear, and delete registry keys and values in Windows PowerShell. 

    Registry keys are represented as instances of the Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey class. Registry values are represented as instances of the PSCustomObject class. 

    The Registry provider lets you access a hierarchical namespace that consists of registry keys and subkeys. Registry values and data are not components of that hierarchy. Instead, they are properties of each of the keys. 

    The Registry provider supports all the cmdlets that contain the Item noun (the Item cmdlets), such as Get-Item, Copy-Item, and Rename Item. Use the Item cmdlets when you work with registry keys and subkeys. The Registry provider also supports the cmdlets that contain the ItemProperty noun (the ItemProperty cmdlets). Use the ItemProperty cmdlets when you work with registry values and data. You cannot use the cmdlets that contain the Content noun (the Content cmdlets) with the Registry provider. 

    Each registry key is protected by a security descriptor. You can use Get-Acl to view the security descriptor of a key. 

CAPABILITIES 
    ShouldProcess 

TASKS 
    TASK: Navigating the Registry 

 Examples
        
EXAMPLE 1
 

        This command sets the current location to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software registry key: 

        set-location hklm:\software 

        
EXAMPLE 2
 

        This command displays the current location: 

        get-location 

    TASK: Managing Registry Keys 

        
EXAMPLE 1
 

        This command displays information about each immediate subkey of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software registry key: 

        get-childitem -path hklm:\software 

        
EXAMPLE 2
 

        This command creates the TestNew subkey under the HKCU:\Environment subkey: 

        new-item -path hkcu:\Environment\TestNew 

        
EXAMPLE 3
 

        This command removes the TestNew subkey of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key: 

        remove-item -path hkcu:\Environment\TestNew 

        
EXAMPLE 4
 

        This command copies the TestNew key to the TestCopy subkey: 

        copy-item -path  hkcu:\Environment\TestNew  hkcu:\Environment\TestNew\TestCopy 

        
EXAMPLE 5
 

        This command displays information about all the subkeys of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software registry key: 

        get-childitem -path hklm:\Software -recurse 

        
EXAMPLE 6
 

        This command moves the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnewcopy registry key, its properties, and all its subkeys and their properties to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew: 

        move-item -path hkcu:\environment\testnewcopy ` 
        -destination hkcu:\environment\testnew 

        
EXAMPLE 7
 

        This command renames the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew registry key to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\test: 

        rename-item -path hkcu:\environment\testnew\ -newname test 

        
EXAMPLE 8
 

        This command displays the security descriptor for the specified registry item: 

        get-acl -path hkcu:\environment\testnew | format-list -property * 

    TASK: Managing Registry Entries 

        
EXAMPLE 1
 

        This command displays the value name and value data for each registry entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment registry key: 

        get-itemproperty -path hkcu:\Environment 

        The Default registry entry is returned only if it has a value. 
        
EXAMPLE 2
 

        This command displays the value name and value data for the Temp registry entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment registry key: 

        get-itemproperty -path hkcu:\Environment -name Temp 

        
EXAMPLE 3
 

        This command creates the pstest registry entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key and sets its value to pstestvalue: 

        new-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment -name "pstest" -value "pstestvalue"

        
EXAMPLE 4
 

        This command updates the value of the pstest registry entry to updatedvalue in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key: 

        set-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment -name pstest 
        -value "updatedvalue"

        
EXAMPLE 5
 

        This command renames the value name of the pstest registry entry to pstestnew in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key: 

        rename-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment -name pstest ` 
        -newname pstestnew 

        
EXAMPLE 6
 

        This command copies the pstestnew registry entry from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment key to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnewcopy key: 

        copy-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment ` 
        -destination hkcu:\environment\testnewcopy -name pstestnew 

        
EXAMPLE 7
 

        The command moves the pstestnew registry entry from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\environment\testnewcopy key to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\environment\testnew key: 

        move-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment\testnewcopy ' 
        -destination hkcu:\environment\testnew -name pstestnew 

        
EXAMPLE 8
 

        This command clears the value of the pstestnew registry entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew key: 

        clear-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment\testnew -name pstestnew 

        You can use the Clear-Item cmdlet to clear the value of the default registry entry for a subkey. For example, the following command clears the value of the default entry of the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew registry key: 

        clear-item -path hkcu:\environment\testnew 
        
EXAMPLE 9
 

        This command removes the pstestnew registry entry from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew registry key: 

        remove-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment\testnew ` 
        -name pstestnew 

        -------------------------- EXAMPLE 10 -------------------------- 

        This command updates the value of the default registry entry in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment\testnew key to "default value": 

        set-itemproperty -path hkcu:\environment\testnew ` 
        -name "(default)" -value "default value"

        You can also update the default value of a registry key by using the Set-Item cmdlet. For example, the following command updates the default value of the testnew key: 

        set-item -path hkcu:\environment\testnew -value "another default value"

DYNAMIC PARAMETERS 
    -Type <Microsoft.Win32.RegistryValueKind> 
        Specifies the data types to use when storing values in the registry, or identifies the data type of a value in the registry. 

            String 
                Specifies a null-terminated string. Equivalent to REG_SZ. 

            ExpandString 
                Specifies a null-terminated string that contains unexpanded references to environment variables that are expanded when the value is retrieved. Equivalent to REG_EXPAND_SZ. 

            Binary 
                Specifies binary data in any form. Equivalent to REG_BINARY. 

            DWord 
                Specifies a 32-bit binary number. Equivalent to REG_DWORD. 

            MultiString 
                Specifies an array of null-terminated strings terminated by two null characters. Equivalent to REG_MULTI_SZ. 

            QWord 
                Specifies a 64-bit binary number. Equivalent to REG_QWORD. 

            Unknown 
                Indicates an unsupported registry data type, such as REG_RESOURCE_LIST. 

        Cmdlets Supported: Set-Item 

 NOTES
 

RELATED LINKS 
    about_Providers 

C:\Windows>powershell get-help Variable -full 

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