# Registry Compare Overview

A Registry Compare session compares live registries on your computer or other computers on your network, and .reg export files, either in a side-by-side or over-under layout. Keys and values are sorted and aligned based on their names. Keys will be colored based on whether they contain differences or orphans. Values will be colored to highlight character differences. Red indicates a difference and purple indicates an orphan. Once the comparison is loaded, you can directly edit live registries. You can copy items between registries, delete or rename existing items, and add new items. Double-clicking on a value also allows you to change its type and data. See also Registry Compare Commands Registry Compare Settings