diff --git a/src/common/utils/path_key.hpp b/src/common/utils/path_key.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6165393e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/utils/path_key.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "string.hpp"
+#include <filesystem>
+
+namespace utils
+{
+    class path_key
+    {
+      public:
+        path_key() = default;
+        path_key(const std::filesystem::path& p)
+            : path_(canonicalize_path(p))
+        {
+        }
+
+        path_key(const path_key&) = default;
+        path_key(path_key&&) noexcept = default;
+
+        path_key& operator=(const path_key&) = default;
+        path_key& operator=(path_key&&) noexcept = default;
+
+        ~path_key() = default;
+
+        const std::filesystem::path& get() const
+        {
+            return this->path_;
+        }
+
+        bool operator==(const path_key& other) const
+        {
+            return this->get() == other.get();
+        }
+
+        bool operator!=(const path_key& other) const
+        {
+            return !this->operator==(other);
+        }
+
+        static std::filesystem::path canonicalize_path(const std::filesystem::path& key)
+        {
+            auto path = key.lexically_normal().wstring();
+            return utils::string::to_lower_consume(path);
+        }
+
+      private:
+        std::filesystem::path path_{};
+    };
+}
+
+namespace std
+{
+    template <>
+    struct hash<utils::path_key>
+    {
+        size_t operator()(const utils::path_key& p) const noexcept
+        {
+            return hash<std::filesystem::path::string_type>()(p.get().native());
+        }
+    };
+}
diff --git a/src/emulator/serialization_helper.hpp b/src/emulator/serialization_helper.hpp
index 021855ef..2085ace2 100644
--- a/src/emulator/serialization_helper.hpp
+++ b/src/emulator/serialization_helper.hpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include <chrono>
 #include <filesystem>
+#include <utils/path_key.hpp>
 
 namespace utils
 {
@@ -44,4 +45,14 @@ namespace utils
     {
         path = buffer.read_string<char16_t>();
     }
+
+    inline void serialize(buffer_serializer& buffer, const path_key& path)
+    {
+        buffer.write(path.get());
+    }
+
+    inline void deserialize(buffer_deserializer& buffer, path_key& path)
+    {
+        path = buffer.read<std::filesystem::path>();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.cpp b/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.cpp
index 963a4f2d..62adfe1b 100644
--- a/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.cpp
+++ b/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.cpp
@@ -7,12 +7,6 @@
 
 namespace
 {
-    std::filesystem::path canonicalize_path(const std::filesystem::path& key)
-    {
-        auto path = key.lexically_normal().wstring();
-        return utils::string::to_lower_consume(path);
-    }
-
     bool is_subpath(const std::filesystem::path& root, const std::filesystem::path& p)
     {
         auto root_it = root.begin();
@@ -32,7 +26,7 @@ namespace
     void register_hive(registry_manager::hive_map& hives, const std::filesystem::path& key,
                        const std::filesystem::path& file)
     {
-        hives[canonicalize_path(key).u16string()] = std::make_unique<hive_parser>(file);
+        hives[key] = std::make_unique<hive_parser>(file);
     }
 }
 
@@ -80,22 +74,22 @@ void registry_manager::deserialize(utils::buffer_deserializer& buffer)
 
 std::filesystem::path registry_manager::normalize_path(const std::filesystem::path& path) const
 {
-    auto canonical_path = canonicalize_path(path);
+    const utils::path_key canonical_path = path;
 
     for (const auto& mapping : this->path_mapping_)
     {
-        if (is_subpath(mapping.first, canonical_path))
+        if (is_subpath(mapping.first.get(), canonical_path.get()))
         {
-            return mapping.second / canonical_path.lexically_relative(mapping.first);
+            return mapping.second.get() / canonical_path.get().lexically_relative(mapping.first.get());
         }
     }
 
-    return canonical_path;
+    return canonical_path.get();
 }
 
 void registry_manager::add_path_mapping(const std::filesystem::path& key, const std::filesystem::path& value)
 {
-    this->path_mapping_[canonicalize_path(key).u16string()] = canonicalize_path(value);
+    this->path_mapping_[key] = value;
 }
 
 std::optional<registry_key> registry_manager::get_key(const std::filesystem::path& key)
@@ -116,7 +110,7 @@ std::optional<registry_key> registry_manager::get_key(const std::filesystem::pat
     }
 
     registry_key reg_key{};
-    reg_key.hive = iterator->first;
+    reg_key.hive = iterator->first.get();
     reg_key.path = normal_key.lexically_relative(reg_key.hive);
 
     if (reg_key.path.empty())
@@ -137,7 +131,7 @@ std::optional<registry_value> registry_manager::get_value(const registry_key& ke
 {
     utils::string::to_lower_inplace(name);
 
-    const auto iterator = this->hives_.find(key.hive.u16string());
+    const auto iterator = this->hives_.find(key.hive);
     if (iterator == this->hives_.end())
     {
         return std::nullopt;
@@ -161,7 +155,7 @@ registry_manager::hive_map::iterator registry_manager::find_hive(const std::file
 {
     for (auto i = this->hives_.begin(); i != this->hives_.end(); ++i)
     {
-        if (is_subpath(i->first, key))
+        if (is_subpath(i->first.get(), key))
         {
             return i;
         }
diff --git a/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.hpp b/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.hpp
index a07c8947..1e598ac6 100644
--- a/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.hpp
+++ b/src/windows-emulator/registry/registry_manager.hpp
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include "../std_include.hpp"
-#include <serialization_helper.hpp>
 #include "hive_parser.hpp"
+#include "serialization_helper.hpp"
 
 struct registry_key
 {
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class registry_manager
 {
   public:
     using hive_ptr = std::unique_ptr<hive_parser>;
-    using hive_map = std::unordered_map<std::u16string, hive_ptr>;
+    using hive_map = std::unordered_map<utils::path_key, hive_ptr>;
 
     registry_manager();
     registry_manager(const std::filesystem::path& hive_path);
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ class registry_manager
   private:
     std::filesystem::path hive_path_{};
     hive_map hives_{};
-    std::unordered_map<std::u16string, std::filesystem::path> path_mapping_{};
+    std::unordered_map<utils::path_key, utils::path_key> path_mapping_{};
 
     std::filesystem::path normalize_path(const std::filesystem::path& path) const;
     void add_path_mapping(const std::filesystem::path& key, const std::filesystem::path& value);