Windows 11 has completely refreshed the right-click or context menu in Windows 11 and has replaced it with a brand new menu. While this new redesign has removed some unnecessary shortcuts and options, the new interface can be a bit daunting at first. Thankfully, it can be easily customized to fit your needs.
There are two ways to go about it. You can revert back to the old Windows 10 style context menu and add your favorite apps list. Or, you can add new apps directly. The only catch is that the apps will appear when you click Show more options.
Either way, you can add and remove apps to your liking.
Here’s how to change and customize the right-click menu in Windows 11.
The ‘Show more options’ option is annoying. For example, I have to click multiple times to send a file to my phone. And when that happens dozens of times in a day, it can be frustrating.
There are two ways to restore the old Windows 10 context menu. You can edit Registry Editor entries. Or, you can tweak Registry keys directly through the Command Prompt. The second step is easy.
Windows Registry Editor is the heart of all Windows installations. And if you know the right keys and values, you can customize some parts of your PC to your liking.
However, editing Registry Editor is not child’s play and using the wrong key & value set can damage your computer.
Note: Please back up the Registry before you make any changes.
Step 1: Click the Windows button, type re-edit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Step 2: Navigate to the following path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID
Step 3: When the path opens, right-click and select New > Key.
This will create a new key on the left panel. Once done, rename the key with the following name,
{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
Step 4: Select the newly created key and then right-click on the right panel and select New > Key.
Now rename the newly created key to below name,
InprocServer32
Step 5: Select the newly created InprocServer32 folder and right click on the Default value. Once done, select Modify.
Keep the Value data field blank and press the Ok button.
All you need to do is restart your Windows 11 laptop/PC to be greeted with the old context menu.
To restore the new context menu, remove the InprocServer32 key.
Alternative route: Via command prompt
If you don’t want to mess around with the Keys and Values, you can add the keys directly via the Command Prompt.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt and paste the following command:
reg add “HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32” /f /ve
This simple action will add both keys in the correct sequence.
Step 2: Restart the computer and that’s it.
This is a much faster method.
Once you have the old context menu, you can tweak it to add a few frequently used apps. Applications will appear in the first menu, saving you time in the long run.
Please note that you can only add apps, not folders and files. For the second case, you have to resort to the help of the Taskbar.
Like the method above, adding an application to the context menu in Windows 11 also involves editing the Registry entries. We will add two applications in our example, Notepad and Calculator.
Step 1: Open Registry Editor and navigate to the path below:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
Step 2: Right click on the right panel and add a new Key. Name it ‘Notepad.’
Double click Default and add ‘&Notepad’ under Value Data.
Step 3: Select the newly created key and right-click again to add a new key below the Notepad folder. Rename it to ‘command’.
Double-click to modify the Value and add the following to the Value Data.
Notepad.exe
Return to the desktop and right-click to see the new values in the context menu.
Repeat the steps to add apps like Calculator or MS Word.
Note: To remove an application from the right-click menu in Windows 11, delete the items in the shell folder.
Again, we recommend backing up before deleting any keys.
You can also add apps directly to the right-click menu in Windows 11 without going back to the old menu,
The only drawback is that they will only be available when you click Show more options.
Old and new
That’s how you can customize the right-click menu in Windows 11. The default menu looks fine but is limited. It takes time to get used to. You can customize it and put frequently used apps and preferences there.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
