Best Tools to Track & Monitor Registry Changes: #1 is a Must

Registry activity can be monitored with the help of Regshot, Process Monitor & more 👇

by Ivan Jenic
Ivan Jenic
Ivan Jenic
Troubleshooting Expert
Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and... read more
Reviewed by Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Alex Serban
Windows Server & Networking Expert
After moving away from the corporate work-style, Alex has found rewards in a lifestyle of constant analysis, team coordination and pestering his colleagues. Holding an MCSA Windows Server... read more
Affiliate Disclosure
  • If you want to monitor registry changes easily, you're in the right place.
  • Registry activity can be monitored with the help of registry monitoring tools such as Regshot or Process Monitor.
  • But what if you don't feel like using a dedicated registry change tracker?
  • We'll show you how to monitor registry changes with a few native in-line commands, so read on!
monitor registry changes

When you install certain software, it copies a few files into your registry. Now, it’s no surprise that this can go either way but fortunately, registry activity can be monitored with the help of specialized tools.

You can monitor registry changes and keep track of all the keys and entries along with their status by using registry monitoring tools. But why would you want to do that?

For once, you can simplify future troubleshooting steps. In fact, the modifications made by different programs to your registry can cause errors, and incompatibilities as well as impact your system overall.

Not to mention that there are also illegitimate programs that can infiltrate your OS and further alter your registry, such as malware or viruses.

What tool would you use to monitor the changes to the registry that the malware is making? Here’s a quick preview of our top picks:

  1. Regshot – Windows registry change tracker + snapshot feature
  2. WhatChanged – Monitor registry key changes effortlessly
  3. RegFromApp – Record registry changes directly in a .reg file
  4. Process Monitor – Monitor registry changes real-time

Now, registry activity can be monitored with the help of Dash, Regshot, Wireshark, Course Hero, Process Hacker, MCQ, and more.

Find out how to monitor registry changes and easily identify potential errors in order to make sure everything works smoothly.

Without further ado, we present you with the list of the best registry monitoring tools on the market.

Which tool is used to analyze the registry entries?

1. Regshot – Windows registry change tracker + snapshot feature

regshot

You wanted to know and we’re here to answer – Can registry activity be monitored with the help of RegShot? Without a shred of a doubt.

Regshot is a very useful tool for monitoring changes in your registry. Besides showing the current state of your Windows registry, it allows you to take a screenshot of it and save it for later comparison.

Regshot is a free and open-source tool that works on both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows.

Besides Windows registry, Regshot also allows you to take a snapshot of the Windows directories. You can download this open-source registry monitoring tool from SourceForge for free.

⇒ Get Regshot

2. WhatChanged – Monitor registry key changes effortlessly

what changed software

WhatChanged is another well-known, free registry utility for tracking changes in the Windows registry.

It uses the so-called brute force method, and with it, you’ll be able to scan your registry to find the modified files and recent registry entries.

This makes it easy to compare all the changes to your system settings.

WhatChanged is a great tool for checking what programs you recently installed, and maybe deleting some unnecessary ones.

⇒ Get WhatChanged

3. RegFromApp – Record registry changes directly in a .reg file

regforapp monitor registry changes

RegFromApp is a registry monitoring tool that smoothly monitors all the changes in the registry made by Windows or a certain program you selected.

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It also creates a RegEdit registration file (.reg) which stores all registry changes and modifications made by the program or an app you installed.

This .reg file could be used to import all registry changes with RegEditApp, if needed. You can download RegFromApp for free from its developer’s website.

Should you be unable to edit the registry due to insufficient permissions, make sure you take a look at our expert tips and regain access.

⇒ Get RegFromApp

4. Process Monitor – Monitor registry changes in real-time

process monitor software

Process Monitor is another very popular, free registry monitoring utility, that offers some advanced options. So how to use Process Monitor? It could not be easier!

Simply download Process Monitor for registry changes, run the .exe file, and install it on your hard drive. It works in real time and shows all system files, registry changes, and processes/threads of your system.

This tiny tool is also able to fix your registry, if there are some errors, as well as to remove malware and other types of malicious software.

You can download this small, but powerful registry tool for free.

⇒ Get Process Monitor

How do I monitor my registry activity? 👉 Reg and FC Method

And now something for those who don’t like using third-party software for performing system tasks, or any other tasks in Windows 10.

If you don’t feel like using specialized registry monitoring tools, Reg and FC is Windows’ built-in command line from the Windows registry. And it allows you to monitor and compare the states of your registry.

Before comparing the registry changes, export all the important registry keys you want to monitor (when your system is performing well) to a text file, and export these keys again after a few changes or new installations.

Now compare both files with fc.exe:

  1. Go to search and type fc.exe.
  2. Open fc command and enter the following command line: fc 1st.reg 2nd.reg > result.txt
  3. This command will compare both files and save them in the same directory as .text file.

Now, you know what tools you can install on your Windows 10 computer in order to keep an eye on the Registry changes that various apps and software operate on the OS.

Knowing what’s changed is one thing, but knowing how to revert the changes is another one.

So, if you want to simply get rid of all the changes, you can use a Restore Point, provided that you already created one.

This will help you undo registry changes in Windows 10, should you need to do so.

Additionally, if you want to reset your Registry, you can also install one of these registry cleaners and run it on your machine.

We hope that you’ll find at least one of these tools useful and that it will help you to monitor registry changes easily.

If you have some comments or suggestions, or maybe know some other powerful tools for monitoring registry changes, reach us in the comments below, we would love to hear your opinion.

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