Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HKEY Local Key Machine
HKEY Local Key Machine
What is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE?
All the low-level Windows Settings and Application settings are stored in a
database called Windows registry. It stores settings of device drivers, user
interface, kernel, paths to folders, Start menu shortcuts, location of installed
applications, DLL files, and all the software values & hardware information.
However, if you open the Windows registry, you may see several root keys,
each contributing to a specific Windows function. For
example, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, abbreviated as HKLM, is one such
Windows root key. It includes the configuration details of:
Windows OS
Installed software
Device Drivers
Boot configurations of Windows 7/8/10/Vista,
Windows services, and
Hardware drivers.
Note: Therefore, you are advised to back up the key before performing any
operation with the registry editor. For instance, if you wish to delete the residual
or junk files, you should not do it yourself unless you are certain about the
entries. Otherwise, you can use a third-party registry cleaner that will help you
remove all the unwanted registry entries automatically.
You can open HKLM through Registry editor as follows:
Note: If you have already used the registry editor before, it will be in an
expanded state already.
List of Keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Note: The mentioned registry keys may differ according to the Windows
version you use.
SAM subkey – This subkey holds the data of the Security Accounts
Manager (SAM) for domains. Every database holds Group Aliases, User
accounts, Guest accounts, Administrator accounts, Login names of
domain, and so on.
SECURITY subkey – All the security policies of the user are stored
here. This data is linked to the security database of the domain or the
corresponding registry in your system.
If you want to view the SAM or SECURITY subkey, you have to log in to the
Registry Editor using System Account. A system account is an account that has
higher permissions than any other account, including an Administrator account.
Note: You can also use some third-party software utilities like PsExec to view
these hidden subkeys in your system. (Not Recommended)