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Windows registry structure: key

The nodes (but not the leaves aka values) in a given registry tree are referred to as keys.

Registry keys are kernel objects.

See also

The .NET class Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey.

Windows registry: tree structure

In PowerShell, if navigating in a registry drive, the value of a registry key is returned by the get-location cmdLet (which returns a System.Management.Automation.PathInfo object).

A registry key is a securable object.