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 (runas) or suppressed UAC prompt
• Returns the Process handle of the launched Registry Editor

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");

// Using the OpenAt alias
RegJump.OpenAt(@"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion");

Open Registry Editor with elevated privileges

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

Open Registry Editor without navigating to a path

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

// With elevation
RegJump.Open(runas: 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 runas = false)

Opens the Windows Registry Editor and navigates to path.

Parameter	Type	Description
path	string	Registry path in the format HIVE\SubKey\Path
runas	bool	true to request elevation via UAC; false (default) to run as the current user without a UAC prompt

Returns: Process — the started Registry Editor process.

---

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

Alias for Open(string path, bool runas). Identical behaviour.

---

RegJump.Open(bool runas = false)

Opens the Windows Registry Editor at its last visited location.

Parameter	Type	Description
runas	bool	true to request elevation via UAC; false (default) to run as the current user without a UAC prompt

Returns: Process — the started Registry Editor process.

---

Supported hive prefixes

Abbreviation	Full name
HKLM	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
HKCU	HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKCR	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
HKU	HKEY_USERS
HKCC	HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
HKPD	HKEY_PERFORMANCE_DATA

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 runas is false, the process is started with __COMPAT_LAYER=RUNASINVOKER to suppress any automatic UAC elevation prompt, ensuring the editor opens in the current user context regardless of manifest settings.

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

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.