Find WOW64 COM Components in Windows Registry

On 64-bit versions of Windows, the Windows-on-Windows 64-bit (WOW64) subsystem isolates 32-bit applications from native 64-bit applications by redirecting registry calls. This article identifies the exact registry paths within the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit) where 32-bit registered Component Object Model (COM) components reside under WOW64 redirection.

Primary Registry Path for WOW64 COM Components

To view machine-wide registered 32-bit COM components, open Regedit and navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID

Alternatively, the same components can be accessed through the following equivalent paths depending on how you browse the registry hive:

• Via Software Classes: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\WOW6432Node\CLSID
• Via Root Classes: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\WOW6432Node\CLSID

How 64-Bit and 32-Bit COM Keys Differ

Windows maintains separate registration locations for 32-bit and 64-bit COM objects to prevent architecture mismatch errors during execution:

• Native 64-bit COM Components: Stored at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID
• Redirected 32-bit COM Components: Stored at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Classes\CLSID

When a 32-bit process requests a COM class identifier (CLSID) from HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID, the WOW64 registry redirector automatically intercepts the request and reads from the WOW6432Node path instead.

Key Subkeys to Inspect

Each subkey under the redirected CLSID node represents a globally unique identifier (GUID) for a registered COM component. Inside a specific GUID key, common values include:

• InprocServer32: Points to the file path of the 32-bit Dynamic Link Library (.dll) implementing the component.
• LocalServer32: Points to the executable path (.exe) of an out-of-process 32-bit COM server.
• ProgID: Contains the programmatic identifier mapped to the GUID.
• TypeLib: References the Type Library GUID associated with the COM interface.

User-Specific COM Components

If a 32-bit COM component is registered on a per-user basis rather than system-wide, it is stored under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID

Note: Per-user registry keys (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes) are generally shared between 32-bit and 64-bit applications and do not use a WOW6432Node structure.