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The 8 Best Registry Hacks for Windows 10

Windows 10 registry is packed with useful hidden settings you can’t find anywhere else in Windows. From classic registry hacks that worked on Windows 7 to all-new hacks for Windows 10, here are our favorites.

Switch Windows With a Single Click on the Taskbar: Like Windows 7 before it, Windows 10 combines multiple windows from running applications into a single button on your taskbar. When you click the button, you see thumbnails of your open windows and you can click the one you want.

Add Apps to the Desktop Context Menu: Applications often add shortcuts to your Windows context menus, and you can remove them if you like. If you want to add your own shortcuts, visit the registry.

You can add a shortcut for any application to the Windows desktop’s context menu, giving you the ability to launch your most frequently used applications with a quick right-click on the desktop. Whether that’s Notepad or a web browser, you can hack anything you want into that menu via the registry.

Show Seconds in the Taskbar Clock: Windows 10 lets you add seconds to your taskbar clock so you can see the precise time at a glance. Most people won’t need this, but that precision is valuable. After all, Windows automatically synchronizes your PC’s clock with network time servers so it should be accurate down to the second.

Remove 3D Objects (and Other Folders) From This PC: The “This PC” view in Windows 10’s File Explorer includes quite a few folders you may never use, like “3D Objects.”While Windows doesn’t offer an obvious way to remove them from the This PC view, you can do it in the registry. You can remove the 3D Objects folder from File Explorer by editing the registry. You can also remove other folders like Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos if you like.

Hide OneDrive from File Explorer: OneDrive is built into Windows 10, but what if you don’t want to use it? You can uninstall OneDrive, sure. But, even if you do, you’ll see a “OneDrive” option in File Explorer’s sidebar.

Ditch the Lock Screen: Windows 10 includes a lock screen featuring beautiful images thanks to Windows Spotlight. It even has widgets so you can see information from “Universal” apps like Windows 10’s Mail and Calendar apps on your lock screen.

the lock screen was originally designed for Windows 8 tablets. If you’re using a desktop PC or laptop, the lock screen is just another screen you have to press Space to bypass before typing your PIN or password.

Remove Bing Search from the Start Menu: “DisableSearchBoxSuggestions” off and the Windows taskbar will just search your local files. Your searches won’t be sent to Microsoft’s servers and you won’t see Bing results when you’re just looking for local files.

Get Rid of Cortana: Cortana is also tightly integrated into Windows 10’s taskbar experience. You can disable Cortana completely, but only by editing the registry. Disable the “AllowCortana” value and Microsoft’s voice assistant won’t appear as an option for the taskbar or in your Start menu.