{"id":8664,"date":"2019-04-15T03:46:03","date_gmt":"2019-04-14T22:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/198.58.113.91\/blog\/?p=8664"},"modified":"2023-08-02T20:32:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T15:02:00","slug":"error-specified-file-not-registry-script-cannot-import-file-regedit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-specified-file-not-registry-script-cannot-import-file-regedit\/","title":{"rendered":"[Fix] Cannot import file: The specified file is not a registry script"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you try to import a registry file (.reg) by double-clicking it or by using the Import option from within the Registry Editor, the following error occurs. As a result, the .reg file is not imported.<\/p>\n<div class=\"err\">\nRegistry Editor<\/p>\n<p>Cannot import filename.reg: The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import binary registry files from within the registry editor.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/regedit-import-error-binary-files.png\" alt=\"specified file is not a registry script\" width=\"557\" height=\"133\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8666\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This post tells you how to fix the .reg file import error in Windows.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Fix for &#8220;The specified file is not a registry script&#8221; Error<\/h2>\n<p>Registration Entries (.reg) file is used to add, modify, or delete registry entries. The Registry Editor (regedit.exe) uses .reg files to import and export registry subkeys and values. You can use these .reg files to distribute registry changes to several Windows-based computers. When you run a .reg file, the file contents merge into the local registry.<\/p>\n<p>A .reg file has the following syntax:<\/p>\n<pre><code>RegistryEditorVersion\r\nBlank line\r\n[RegistryPath1]\r\n\"DataItemName1\"=\"DataType1:DataValue1\"\r\n\"DataItemName2\"=\"DataType2:DataValue2\"\r\nBlank line\r\n[RegistryPath2]\r\n\"DataItemName3\"=\"DataType3:DataValue3\"<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>where:<\/p>\n<p><em>RegistryEditorVersion<\/em> is either <code>Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00<\/code> for Windows 2000 and higher systems, or <code>REGEDIT4<\/code> for Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0. Note that the <code>REGEDIT4<\/code> header also works on Windows 2000 and higher computers, including Windows 10.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/hand.png\" alt=\"hand point icon\" width=\"49\" height=\"27\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-6419\" \/><strong>The 1st line should start with the registry editor version. This is the basic rule! And it should be followed by a blank line.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Fix the .reg file syntax and formatting<\/h4>\n<p>The error &#8220;The specified file is not a registry script&#8221; occurs if the 1st line in the .reg file is just a blank line, or the registry editor version header is incorrect or missing. To fix the error:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open (edit) the .reg file using Notepad.<\/li>\n<li>Clear the blank line at the top of the REG file, and save the file.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/regedit-import-error-binary-files-blank-space.png\" alt=\"specified file is not a registry script\" width=\"700\" height=\"284\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8667\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Make sure that the 1st line contains the registry editor version.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"qt\">\nIf the same error appears after removing the blank 1st line in the .reg file, try these things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You may have created or saved the .reg in an editor something other than Notepad. If so, that may have ended up inadvertently adding extra formatting codes. Make sure you recreate the .reg file using Notepad and choose Unicode or ANSI when saving the .reg file.<\/li>\n<li>Also, see Microsoft article <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-in\/help\/310516\/how-to-add-modify-or-delete-registry-subkeys-and-values-by-using-a-reg\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Add, modify, or delete registry entries by using a .reg file<\/a> to know how to create a .reg file. After reading through the article, you should be able to check if your .reg file contents are legitimate.<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<p>That should fix the error &#8220;<strong>The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import binary registry files from within the registry editor<\/strong>&#8221; when importing .reg files in Windows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you try to import a registry file (.reg) by double-clicking it or by using the Import option from within the Registry Editor, the following error occurs. As a result, the .reg file is not imported. Registry Editor Cannot import filename.reg: The specified file is not a registry script. You can only import binary registry &#8230; <a title=\"[Fix] Cannot import file: The specified file is not a registry script\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-specified-file-not-registry-script-cannot-import-file-regedit\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about [Fix] Cannot import file: The specified file is not a registry script\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[191,441],"class_list":["post-8664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows","tag-error-messages","tag-registry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19471,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cannot-import-reg-not-all-data-was-successfully\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":0},"title":"Cannot import .REG file; Not all data was successfully written to registry","author":"Ramesh","date":"October 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes, when applying the registry settings using a .reg file, you may get one of the following errors: Cannot import file.reg: Not all data was successfully written to the registry. Some keys are open by the system or other processes, or you have insufficient privileges to perform this operation. Cannot\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cannot import .reg file - error accessing registry","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reg-file-import-error-4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reg-file-import-error-4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reg-file-import-error-4.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/reg-file-import-error-4.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9292,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-use-reg-files-registration-entries-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":1},"title":"How to use .REG files (Registration Entries) in Windows?","author":"Ramesh","date":"May 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many of the articles in this site contain links to .reg (Registration entries) and .vbs (VBScript) files. In some articles, I post the contents of .reg file so that users can make one themselves. This article explains how to create and run .reg files in Windows. Create and apply a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/reg-file-example-5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/reg-file-example-5.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/reg-file-example-5.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/reg-file-example-5.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74880,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/mp3-metadata-blank-in-explorer\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":2},"title":"[Fix] MP3 Metadata not displayed in File Explorer","author":"Ramesh","date":"April 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open a folder containing MP3 files, the metadata fields in the Details view of File Explorer may be empty. For instance, the \"Title\", \"Contributing artists\", \"Album\" and other metadata columns may be blank. Even though the MP3 files have embedded metadata ID3 tags, they don't appear in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"mp3 metadata columns are empty in explorer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mp3-meta-data-blank-explorer-fixed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mp3-meta-data-blank-explorer-fixed.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mp3-meta-data-blank-explorer-fixed.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mp3-meta-data-blank-explorer-fixed.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31967,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/trustedinstaller-service-missing-error-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":3},"title":"Windows Modules Installer (TrustedInstaller) Service Missing or Throws Error 3","author":"Ramesh","date":"January 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When you open the Services MMC, the Windows Modules Installer Service (\"TrustedInstaller\") service may be missing from the list. On some systems, the Windows Modules Installer service may exist, but attempting to start the service causes error 3. Windows could not start the Windows Modules Installer service on Local Computer.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Regedit.exe File Import menu - Registry Editor","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/regedit-file-import-menu.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1825,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/error-rename-move-folder-not-exist\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":4},"title":"Fix: Cannot Rename or Move Folders &#8211; The File or folder does not exist","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When you try to move or rename a folder in Windows 10 or 11, the errors Can't find the specified file, and The file or folder does not exist occur. Also, duplicate icons with no text appear for special folders, namely Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos, under This PC\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Windows 10&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Windows 10","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/windows-10\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cannot rename folders - windows 11 - folderdescriptions","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/cant-rename-folder-windows-11.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80369,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/import-reg-file-as-trustedinstaller\/","url_meta":{"origin":8664,"position":5},"title":"How to Import a .REG file as TrustedInstaller","author":"Ramesh","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Certain registry keys are protected by NTFS permissions and are writable only by TrustedInstaller. In an earlier article, we saw how to launch a program under the TrustedInstaller privileges.\u00a0Let's see step by step how to import a REG file as TrustedInstaller. The benefit of using the TrustedInstaller privileges to modify\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Utilities&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"import .reg file as trustedinstaller","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/import-reg-trustedinstaller.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/import-reg-trustedinstaller.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/import-reg-trustedinstaller.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8664\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}