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Restore Process Explorer Default Settings

Reset Microsoft Sysinternals Process Explorer preferences by backing up and removing its current-user Registry key, then relaunching the tool.

Process Explorer is a Microsoft Sysinternals utility for inspecting running processes, handles, DLLs, resource usage, and related system details. Its executable is commonly called Procexp. If its columns, panes, window layout, or other preferences have become difficult to use, you can reset its saved configuration.

The reset removes the current user's Process Explorer settings. When Process Explorer starts again without that saved configuration, it creates fresh data using its default settings. This changes application preferences and view-related settings only; it does not end processes, change Windows system settings, uninstall the tool, or delete its executable.

Where Process Explorer stores its settings

The Windows Registry is Windows' hierarchical database for operating system and application configuration. A Registry key is a container that can hold configuration values and nested keys.

Process Explorer stores its per-user configuration at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer

HKEY_CURRENT_USER, also called HKCU, contains settings for the Windows account currently signed in. Therefore, removing this key resets settings for only that user profile. Other Windows accounts have separate HKCU data and are not reset.

Configuration location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer. This is the saved configuration for the current user.

Registry hive scope: HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Only the account whose profile is being used is affected.

Required application state: Process Explorer must be completely closed, with no remaining Process Explorer instance running.

Reset action: Delete the Process Explorer Registry key, either in Registry Editor or from a command line.

Result after relaunch: Process Explorer starts with default settings and recreates configuration data as it saves new preferences.

Prepare before resetting

  1. Close every Process Explorer window.
  2. Check that no Process Explorer instance remains running. If necessary, use Task Manager or another appropriate process-management method to confirm that Procexp is no longer running.
  3. Decide whether to preserve the current configuration. Exporting the Registry key creates a backup that can later be imported if you need the old settings.
  4. Edit or delete Registry data carefully. Deleting the wrong key can affect other applications or Windows configuration.

Optional: export a backup from Command Prompt

After closing Process Explorer, open Command Prompt and run:

reg export "HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ProcessExplorer-settings-backup.reg" /y

This saves the current user's Process Explorer key as ProcessExplorer-settings-backup.reg on the desktop. If the key does not exist, there is no configuration to back up.

Reset settings with Registry Editor

  1. Close Process Explorer completely.
  2. Open Registry Editor. For example, select Start, type regedit, and open Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER, Software, Sysinternals, and then Process Explorer.
  4. Select the Process Explorer key.
  5. Delete the key using the context menu or the Delete key.
  6. Confirm the deletion prompt.
  7. Start Process Explorer again.

On relaunch, Process Explorer has no saved configuration for that user and uses its default settings. As the application saves preferences again, the Registry key is recreated.

Reset settings from the command line

Experienced users can delete the same current-user key from Command Prompt:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer" /f

Run this command only after all Process Explorer instances have been closed. The /f option deletes the key without an interactive confirmation prompt. To receive a confirmation prompt, omit /f:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer"

This command targets the HKCU hive of the account running the command. It does not reset another user's Process Explorer profile.

Choosing a reset method

Registry Editor: Best for interactive troubleshooting. Navigate to the key, delete it, and confirm the prompt. It provides a visual way to verify the target key.

Command Prompt or scripted command: Best for experienced users or repeatable support procedures. Run reg delete after closing Process Explorer; include /f to suppress confirmation.

Export-and-reset workflow: Best when the reset should be reversible. Export the key first, delete it, and later import the .reg backup if the previous settings are needed.

Verify the reset

  1. Reopen Process Explorer.
  2. Check whether customized columns and display settings have returned to their standard arrangement.
  3. Check the window layout, panes, and other stored view or application preferences.
  4. After Process Explorer saves new preferences, verify that the configuration key has been recreated at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer, if needed.

A reset is successful when the customized interface is replaced by Process Explorer's default configuration. The exact appearance can vary with the Process Explorer version and the preferences it saves.

Scope and limitations

  • Deleting the key does not uninstall Process Explorer.
  • It does not delete the Process Explorer executable.
  • It does not modify the state of running processes or end any process.
  • It does not modify installed applications or system-wide Windows settings.
  • It resets application preferences, layout, and saved view-related settings for one Windows user profile.
  • To reset another account, sign in as the affected user and perform the procedure in that account's context. In a managed environment, use an appropriate user-context deployment method and verify the target profile.

Troubleshooting

Settings appear unchanged

Process Explorer may have still been running and written its settings back when it exited. Another instance may also remain active, or the key may have been deleted from the wrong user hive.

  • Exit every Process Explorer instance before deleting the key.
  • Confirm that the key was removed under HKCU for the account that runs Process Explorer.
  • Launch Process Explorer only after the deletion is complete.

The Process Explorer key is not present

The key may not yet exist for that user, may already have been removed, or you may be viewing a different account's Registry context. No deletion is necessary when the key is absent. Launch Process Explorer to use defaults; it will create settings when it saves them.

A different user's settings need to be reset

HKCU always refers to the current user context. Sign in as the affected user and repeat the reset. Do not assume that deleting the key under your own account changes another profile.

Custom settings are needed again

If you exported a backup, import the saved .reg file to restore the previous configuration, then reopen Process Explorer. Without a backup, reapply the desired settings manually.

Exam-relevant notes

  • Remember the complete configuration path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sysinternals\Process Explorer.
  • HKCU means the currently signed-in user's Registry settings, not all users on the computer.
  • Close Process Explorer before deleting its key so it cannot rewrite the old configuration.
  • The reset affects Process Explorer preferences, not process state, the executable, installed applications, or system-wide settings.

For the procedure on this page, see Restore Process Explorer Defaults.