RegJump 2.0.0

RegJump

A lightweight Windows library that opens the Windows Registry Editor directly at a specified registry key path.

Features

• Open the registry at any path with a single method call
• Optional elevation via UAC (elevated) or suppressed UAC prompt
• Returns the Process handle of the launched Registry Editor
• Accepts hive abbreviations, full hive names, forward slashes, and paths copied straight from the Registry Editor address bar
• Validates the path up front and throws instead of silently opening the wrong location

Requirements

• Windows (Windows-only library)
• .NET Standard 2.0 or higher (compatible with .NET Framework 4.6.1+, .NET Core 2.0+, .NET 5+)

Installation

Install via the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package RegJump

Usage

Open Registry Editor at a specific path

// Open regedit at a specific key (no elevation)
RegJump.Open(@"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion");

// Using full hive name
RegJump.Open(@"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services");

Open Registry Editor with elevated privileges

// Opens regedit via UAC prompt
RegJump.Open(@"HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control", elevated: true);

Open Registry Editor without navigating to a path

// Just opens regedit at its last visited location
RegJump.Open();

// With elevation
RegJump.Open(elevated: true);

Using the returned Process handle

using System.Diagnostics;

Process regedit = RegJump.Open(@"HKCU\Software\MyApp");
regedit.WaitForExit();

API Reference

RegJump.Open(string path, bool elevated = false)

Opens the Windows Registry Editor and navigates to path.

Returns: Process — the started Registry Editor process.

Throws:

RegJump.OpenAt(string path, bool elevated = false)

Deprecated alias for Open(string path, bool elevated). Identical behaviour; marked [Obsolete] and slated for removal in a future major version. Use Open instead.

RegJump.Open(bool elevated = false)

Opens the Windows Registry Editor at its last visited location.

Returns: Process — the started Registry Editor process.

Supported hive prefixes

Hive names are matched case-insensitively. Forward slashes are accepted as separators, surrounding quotes and trailing separators are stripped, and an optional leading Computer\ is ignored — so a path copied from the Registry Editor address bar can be passed through unchanged:

RegJump.Open(@"Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors");

A path that is empty or does not begin with one of the hives above throws ArgumentException rather than launching the Registry Editor at an arbitrary location.

How It Works

RegJump navigates the Registry Editor by writing the desired path to
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit\LastKey before launching regedit.exe — the same mechanism used by Sysinternals RegJump.

When elevated is false, regedit.exe is started directly with __COMPAT_LAYER=RUNASINVOKER in its environment to suppress the automatic UAC elevation prompt, ensuring the editor opens in the current user context regardless of manifest settings.

Notes

The Registry Editor is a single-instance application. If it is already running, launching it again simply focuses the existing window, and that window does not re-read the stored path — so Open(path) will not re-navigate an already open Registry Editor. Close it first if you need the jump to take effect.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change, then submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add my feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/my-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Building and testing

dotnet test RegJump.Test/RegJump.Test.csproj

The integration tests really write LastKey and really start the Registry Editor. They restore the value afterwards, but close the Registry Editor first — an instance that is already open rewrites LastKey when it exits and would overwrite the restore. On non-Windows hosts they report as skipped.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.