Registry

Windows ProcessMicrosoft Corporation

Also called registry process, registry hive process

WindowsSystem Component

A system process Windows uses to hold registry hive memory. It appeared as its own Task Manager row in Windows 10 version 1809.

What you need to know

This holds registry hives in their own process. It is not Registry Editor.

Since Windows 10 1809, Windows can show a Registry process so hive memory is not billed to System. Ending it is not supported. It is not regedit.exe.

Safe?: Yes. It is a hive host
Can I end it?: No
Is it regedit?: No. Different program

Feex says

I would not open regedit because Task Manager showed Registry. That row is memory accounting for hives, not the editor you use to change keys.

What is Registry?

Registry is a system process that owns mapped registry hive pages. Microsoft split it from System so Task Manager stopped blaming PID 4 for hive RAM.

What does it do?

It keeps SOFTWARE, SYSTEM, and user hives resident. It does not browse keys. regedit.exe is the editor. It does not install apps.

Why is it running?

You are on Windows 10 1809 or later, or Windows 11. Older Windows folded this RAM into System. Seeing the row is a version feature, not a new infection.

Is it safe?

Usually safe

The Registry process is part of the memory manager. A random Registry.exe in a zip is not this row.

A legitimate copy normally runs from:

System process (registry hive working set)

Not regedit.exe
Present from Windows 10 version 1809
Memory size follows hive size

Can I end it?

Windows does not offer a safe End task for Registry. Killing hive memory would freeze configuration access.

Can I remove it?

You cannot uninstall the Registry process. Deleting hive files under config is how you break the boot.

Should it start with Windows?

The memory manager creates it. It is not a Startup Apps entry and it is not a scheduled task you wrote.

Normal resource behavior

These are contextual labels, not universal averages.

CPU: Low. Hive flushes are short
Memory: Can look large on a machine with big hives. That is the data, not a leak by itself
Disk: Hive commit to disk
Network: None

File information

Registry file information
Executable name	Registry
Common legitimate path	System process (registry hive working set)
Publisher	Microsoft Corporation
Signature expectation	Signed by Microsoft Windows

Common problems

Large memory number scares people

A fat SOFTWARE hive or a profile with huge user settings makes this row grow. That is stored configuration, not Chrome tabs.

People open regedit and start deleting

The process name is not a hint to edit the store. Back up before you touch keys, and do not do that as a first step.

Troubleshooting

Diagnose before you change anything destructive.

Measure hive files, not vibes

The files under C:\Windows\System32\config explain a large Registry working set. Compacting hives is an advanced repair, not a weekly habit.

Do not end Registry to free RAM

You would be evicting configuration the OS still needs. Close apps instead.

Technical details

Registry technical details
Display name	Registry
Introduced as a separate row	Windows 10 version 1809

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft: Windows 10 1809 process changes · 1809 split registry memory out of System
Microsoft Learn: Registry hives · Hive files the process holds
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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