[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change]

# About the Registry

You can use the IIS snap-in to configure many Internet services. The configuration parameters in the registry that you cannot configure by using the IIS snap-in are either specific to a service or are global to IIS and all services.

Wherever possible, you should use the IIS snap-in to make changes to your Internet server settings. For a registry change to take effect, you must restart the service affected by the change. For global changes to take effect, you must restart all services.

Important Using the Registry Editor incorrectly can cause problems, including the failure of a Web site or FTP site. If you make mistakes, your Web site or FTP site's configuration may become damaged. You should edit registry entries only for settings that you cannot adjust in the user interface, and use caution whenever you edit the registry directly.

Many registry keys that existed for previous versions of IIS were migrated to a fast-access, hierarchical database, called the metabase. The remaining registry keys are used to initiate Internet services and to enable backward compatibility with older previous versions of IIS. Any new information that you are writing should be written to the metabase. See Metabase for more information.

## Key Format for Registry Properties Keys Tables

Properties for the registry are presented in table format. Configuration information is organized as follows:

Property Name (This is the name of the registry property.)
Registry Path: This is the path within the registry where the registry property is set.
Data Type: This is the data type of the registry property.
Default value: The value that a property maintains without user modification.
Range: This is the range of the of the properties value.

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