Edit Registry Settings Of Other Users In Windows 10

Modifying the Windows Registry is already a delicate task. Doing it for another user account—not currently logged in—requires even more care. Whether you’re troubleshooting a problem or tweaking system behavior, here’s how to edit the registry settings of other users on a Windows 10 machine safely and effectively.

Why You Might Need This

• A non-admin user profile is broken or misconfigured.
• You want to deploy settings across multiple user accounts.
• You’re fixing login issues that only affect specific users.

⚠️ Warning First

Editing the registry can seriously mess up Windows if done wrong. Back up the registry and the user’s profile before making any changes.

Step-by-Step: Editing Another User’s Registry

1. Log in with Administrator Rights

You need to be signed in as an admin to access other user hives.

2. Open the Registry Editor

• Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.

3. Load the User’s Registry Hive

This is where the real trick happens.

• In Registry Editor, click on HKEY_USERS.
• Go to File > Load Hive...
• Navigate to the target user’s profile: C:\Users\OTHER_USERNAME\NTUSER.DAT Replace OTHER_USERNAME with the actual username.
• Select NTUSER.DAT and click Open.
• You’ll be prompted to name the loaded hive. Use something simple like TempUser.

Now you’ll see a new branch under HKEY_USERS\TempUser—this is their registry.

4. Make Your Changes

• Navigate through the loaded hive (TempUser) as you would your own registry.
• Edit keys or values as needed.
• Be precise—mistakes here affect that user’s next login.

5. Unload the Hive When Done

• When finished, click on the loaded key (TempUser).
• Go to File > Unload Hive...
• Confirm the action.

Do not skip this. If you don’t unload the hive, changes might not save properly and the file could be locked.

Pro Tips

• Use Group Policy for managing multiple users instead of editing hives manually.
• Keep logs of any registry changes you make for troubleshooting.
• Always test changes on a non-critical profile first.

When This Trick Doesn’t Work

If the user profile is corrupted and you can’t load NTUSER.DAT, you may need to recover the profile or rebuild it from a backup.

Wrapping Up

Editing another user’s registry hive in Windows 10 is a powerful move. It gives you access under the hood without needing them to log in. Just make sure you know what you’re changing—and always back up first.

Need help with a specific registry tweak? Drop it in the comments.