Working with the Windows Registry

So, why work with the Registry? Many of Outlook's settings, options, and values are stored in the Registry. Categories, entry types, recently used folders, and locations are all stored in different keys in the Windows Registry. You can use Outlook every day and never need to modify the Registry. However, to fully customize Outlook, you might need to modify the Registry.

CAUTION

This appendix is not intended as a complete resource for learning and modifying the Registry. This is a general reference for understanding the Registry so that you can do some basic customization of Outlook. The Registry is a vital component of your computer. Modifying the Registry can cause your computer to become unstable. Because of this risk, you should never modify the Registry unless you first have a complete backup of it.

If you encounter an error in Outlook and need to research the error in the Microsoft Knowledge Base, the resolution to that problem will often require examining or modifying the Registry.