- Microsoft has clarified that the modernized Registry Editor discovered by Windows Latest is just a sample app and not intended to ship in Windows 11.
- The application, built with WinUI 3, offers a modern interface but lacks key features like Favorites, .reg import/export, and permissions.
- Online outrage followed as headlines suggested it was the new Windows 11 Registry Editor.
- Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman confirmed on X that "this is a sample" and not a developer preview.
- Microsoft has confirmed that this new Registry Editor is not coming to Windows 11 and is just a sample app designed to showcase Microsoft.UI.Reactor.
- The modernized Registry Editor was discovered in Microsoft's open-source Microsoft.UI.Reactor repository by Windows Latest, which compiled the project and tested it on Windows 11.
- Unlike a simple visual demonstration, this version can access and modify the actual Windows Registry.
- The existing Registry Editor has changed relatively little since Windows 95, maintaining its familiar two-panel layout.
- The new version follows the same arrangement but replaces the old interface with WinUI 3 controls and updated menus.
- Microsoft has not announced plans to release the new Registry Editor as part of Windows 11.
Microsoft has confirmed that the modernized Registry Editor app recently discovered is not a new tool for Windows 11 but a sample designed to demonstrate the capabilities of Microsoft.UI.Reactor technology.67
The app, which was found in Microsoft's open-source repository, is a mockup intended for developers, not a finalized product.
Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman stated, "It’s a sample. You say it’s the new one and then in the last line of the tweet you point out it’s a sample," emphasizing the app's purpose. Windows Insider lead Marcus Ash echoed this, confirming it is "not a developer preview of a new regedit."5
While the modernized Registry Editor showcases a more contemporary interface using WinUI 3, it remains unfinished and lacks essential features such as saving favorites, traditional .reg file import/export, and a functional permissions menu.
Despite these limitations, there are indications that a modern Registry Editor is planned for the future, although it is not currently slated for release with Windows 11.
The existing Registry Editor has seen little change since Windows 95, and the new version retains its two-panel layout while updating the interface with modern controls and Windows 11's Mica background effect.910
Microsoft has not announced any plans to integrate this sample into Windows 11, leaving its future uncertain.11
“The sample app, built with WinUI 3 and Microsoft.UI.Reactor, supports creating, renaming, and deleting registry keys on Windows 11 build 26340.9882, but lacks Favorites, .reg import/export, and permissions. Microsoft VP Scott Hanselman and Windows Insider lead Marcus Ash both emphasized on X that it's "a sample" and not a developer preview.”
Windows Central
