Check if a key exists in the Windows Registry with VB.NET

key-value, registry, registrykey, vb.net, windows

Solution

One way is to use the `Registry.OpenSubKey` method

If Microsoft.Win32.Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey("TestKey") Is Nothing Then
  ' Key doesn't exist
Else
  ' Key existed
End If

However I would advise that you do not take this path. The `OpenSubKey` method returning `Nothing` means that the key didn't exist at some point in the past. By the time the method returns another operation in another program may have caused the key to be created.

Instead of checking for the key existence and creating it after the fact, I would go straight to `CreateSubKey`.

Problem

In VB.NET I can create a key in the Windows Registry like this: ``` My.Computer.Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey("TestKey") ``` And I can check if a value exists within a key like this: ``` If My.Computer.Registry.GetValue("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\MyKey", _ "TestValue", Nothing) Is Nothing Then MsgBox("Value does not exist.") Else MsgBox("Value exist.") End If ``` But how can I check if a key with a specific name exists in the Registry?

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