Microsoft vows to let you customize Windows right-click menu

The right-click menu in Windows has long been a problem. In earlier versions it could balloon to dozens of entries and become hard to navigate, while Windows 11 introduced a pared-down modern menu that often omits commands you use frequently and forces a second click to see the older style.

Marcus Ash, corporate VP of Design and Research for Windows + Devices, posted on X that Microsoft is "working on making context menus faster, simpler by default, configurable to what you use most. More will be shared on our approach soon." The comment suggests a refresh focused on speed, simplicity and configurability.

Switching between the modern menu and the older, longer menu can leave users lost in a forest of commands. Editing the menu yourself requires complex Registry edits, and while third-party utilities exist, the challenge remains that the menu changes depending on the item you right-click—disks, network locations, folders and files each show different options.

windows, right-click menu, context menu, windows 11, modern menu, older menu, registry edits, third-party utilities, marcus ash, configurability