Where to Find Device Setup Class GUIDs in Regedit

In Windows, hardware devices are categorized into device setup classes to ensure the operating system installs and manages appropriate drivers correctly. This article identifies the exact registry location where Windows stores the list of installed device setup classes and their corresponding Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs), along with an explanation of how this data is structured within the Registry Editor.

Registry Path for Device Setup Classes

The Windows Registry Editor stores all installed device setup classes and their GUIDs under the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class

How the Class Registry Key Is Structured

When you navigate to the Control\Class key, you will see a list of subkeys formatted as 128-bit GUID strings enclosed in curly braces (for example, {4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}).

Each GUID subkey contains metadata defining the device class, including:

• Class: The system name of the device class (such as Display, Net, or DiskDrive).
• ClassDesc: A human-readable description of the class (such as “Display adapters” or “Network adapters”).
• IconPath / Installer32: Pointers to system icons and installer DLLs associated with the class.
• Numbered Subkeys (0000, 0001, etc.): Individual device instances currently or previously installed on the system belonging to that specific setup class.

Common Device Setup Class GUIDs

Here are several standard GUIDs found within the Class key:

• Display Adapters: {4d36e968-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• Network Adapters: {4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• Disk Drives: {4d36e967-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• Audio/Video Devices: {4d36e96c-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controllers: {36fc9e60-c465-11cf-8056-444553540000}
• Keyboards: {4d36e96b-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• Mice and Other Pointing Devices: {4d36e96f-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}

How to View the Classes in Regedit

1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class into the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor.
3. Expand the Class key in the left navigation pane to browse individual class GUIDs, or select any GUID key to view its properties and associated devices in the right-hand pane.