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To inventory selected registry data across managed Windows devices, create and assign a Properties catalog policy in Intune, add the Registry property, then review results in each device’s Device Inventory. For a one-time check on one device, use Device Query instead. Properties catalog collection is selected, not a full registry export: Microsoft’s current documentation describes HKLM data and three collection shapes, and says initial inventory can take up to 24 hours.

Choose the right Intune method

Method Best for Scope and timing Key dependency
Properties catalog Recurring visibility into selected registry data across assigned devices Selected key/value collection after device check-in; initial inventory may take up to 24 hours Policy assignment and device inventory sync
Device Query An immediate troubleshooting check on one device Real-time query of a single device Device Query permission, device visibility, and Windows Push Notification Services (WNS) connectivity

Use Properties catalog when you need ongoing, centrally visible inventory. Choose Device Query when support staff need to check a value now on one endpoint. Neither method should be treated as an endpoint-wide registry export.

What Properties catalog can collect

Microsoft documents three ways to define a Registry property collection:

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  • A single value from a specified key.
  • All values directly under a specified key. This does not recursively collect values from deeper subkeys.
  • The same value from immediate subkeys of a specified key.

The reviewed Microsoft documentation describes the initial release as limited to the HKLM hive, registry values up to 6 KB, and 100 registry keys per device. These are product limits stated in Microsoft’s documentation, not guarantees for every later feature version; check the current Properties catalog documentation before designing a large collection policy.

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Create and assign a registry inventory policy

  1. Open the configuration policy workflow. In the Intune admin center, create a Windows 10 and later configuration policy and choose Properties catalog as the profile type.
  2. Add the Registry property. In the property picker, select the Registry category and configure the supported collection shape: one value, values directly under a key, or one value from immediate subkeys. Specify the key and value details required by the selected option.
  3. Assign the policy to device groups. Target the managed Windows devices that should report the selected data. Confirm that the account configuring the policy has an appropriate role, such as Policy and Profile Manager, or a custom role with the required device-configuration permissions.
  4. Allow check-in and collection time. The policy applies at the device’s next check-in. Microsoft says initial inventory can take up to 24 hours. After that, collection repeats multiple times per day for active devices, while a full sync runs once per day.
  5. Inspect the device inventory. Open the device record in Intune, go to Device Inventory, and select the Registry category. Viewing collected inventory requires the Managed Devices/Read permission.

Check one device immediately with Device Query

For a single endpoint, Device Query can run a real-time query against supported properties; Microsoft includes checking a registry key value as a troubleshooting example. Construct a KQL query for the property and device you need, then run it through Device Query. The exact query fields depend on the supported properties available to your tenant, so use Microsoft’s Device Query documentation for current syntax and capabilities.

Device Query requires Managed Devices/Query and permissions that provide visibility into the target device. It relies on Windows Push Notification Services (WNS); a blocked or unavailable WNS connection can cause a query to fail.

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When app inventory or Remediations is a better fit

Installed Win32 applications

If the question is which Win32 applications are installed, use Intune’s enhanced app inventory. It reads application data from machine-level and per-user uninstall registry locations, including 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows. It is app inventory, not a general-purpose collector for arbitrary keys; a Properties catalog policy must be assigned to enable it.

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Script-based detection and fixes

Use Remediations when the task calls for supported script-based detection and correction rather than recurring selected-key inventory. Eligibility and licensing requirements apply. Microsoft says not to use scripts to collect personal data, and documents a maximum script output of 2,048 characters.

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Troubleshoot missing registry data

  • Check assignment: Confirm the policy targets the device or a group containing it, and that the policy configuration is valid.
  • Check check-in and elapsed time: A device must check in to apply the policy, and initial inventory may take up to 24 hours.
  • Check the hive and collection shape: The documented initial-release support is HKLM. Collection under a key is not recursive; deeper subkeys need to be configured in a supported way.
  • Check capacity limits: Review the documented 6 KB value-size and 100-key-per-device limits if the requested data is absent.
  • Check access: Policy configuration needs suitable device-configuration permissions; viewing Device Inventory needs Managed Devices/Read.
  • For a failed Device Query: Verify the query permission and device visibility, then investigate whether WNS connectivity is blocked or unavailable.
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Consider privacy before broad deployment

Registry data can include sensitive configuration. Microsoft states: “Registry key inventory isn’t intended to collect sensitive or confidential values and includes detection logic to help prevent potentially sensitive values from being ingested.” This detection is not a guarantee that every sensitive value will be excluded. Microsoft also notes that sensitive configuration data missed by the detection logic may remain visible to people who already have device-inventory permissions. Limit collection to values needed for administration and review who can read device inventory before assigning the policy broadly.

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