Windows 10: Can't delete Desktop Icons with a right click

Instead, I have to use the Delete button. Is this normal?

:)

 

Windows 10: Cannot Lock Desktop Icons in Windows 10

I did a lot of searching and a found a fix that worked for me.

right click on desktop

click on "personalize"

click on "themes"

click on "desktop icon settings"

delete the check on "allow themes to change desktop icons"

rearrange your desktop icon the way you want

restart computer

I found this on another persons answer page so I can't take the credit nor do I know how to get back to them and tell them it worked for me. Hope this works for you.

 

get help with file explorer in windows 10

Right-click the desktop, choose "View" and then "Show Desktop Icons".

If you can't right-click the desktop, you're probably in Tablet Mode.

 

You forgot to provide a meaningful description of the problem. What exactly happens when you right-click your desktop icons?

 

Nisko,

You mean that you have to highlite an icon on the Desktop, and then use the Delete button on the keyboard to get rid of it?

Right-clicking an icon on the Desktop does not produce a context menu with a Delete option?

 

The context menu shows up and I click on Delete. The little circle goes around and around for a minute of so - thendisappears znd I'm left with the Desktop again. I believe the context menu isn't working at all. I tried Rename File and the same thing happens.

 

Nisko,

The right-click problem is sometimes caused by third party extensions on context menus.

Please download ShellExView (a Shell Extensions Manager by NirSoft):
ShellExView - Shell Extension Manager For Windows
(Scroll down to about bottom of page for downloads. No need to install.

Save to the Desktop
Right click program (if you can), and select: Run as Administrator
On ShellExView console, select: Options
Click: Filter by Extension Type
Select: Context Menu

On the list shown, the items having a pink background are entries installed by 3rd party software.
Press and hold the CTRL key and then click on all the entries having a pink background.
On the left corner, click the red button to Disable them.

Go back under Options, and select: Restart Explorer

WARNING: During the above steps, you may lose your Desktop after disabling items. If so, press Ctrl-Alt-Del for Task Manager to show.
Select the File tab > Run new task and type in: explorer.exe
Click: OK for the Desktop to appear.

When back at the Desktop, use right-click and see if the problem is gone.
If so, start enabling the 3rd party extensions one by one, and try to use the right-click after enabling each extension.
If the right click problem occurs after enabling an extension, you have the culprit.
Disable it, or, uninstall its software if necessary.

 

OK, I am running ShellExView and I have quite a few pink entries. After I disable them, how do I know which ones to re-enable if they're not pink anymore?

OK, disabled all the pink entries and restarted explorer.exe. Then, tried to delete a Desktop item. The context menu is there - but, when I clicked on Delete, I momentarily lost my Desktop. When it reappeared, the item I tried to delete was still there.

I have another problem which I failed to mention - but may be related to the Delete-Desktop issue: When I rename a folder or file, the new name doesn't appear until I close the window it's in - then reopen it. When I try to create a new folder, I can't see the new folder open up so I can name it. I have to close the Window - then reopen it to see the new window. Then, the name of the folder is "New Folder." This happens in any sub folder - not just the Desktop.

 

Nisko,

Can you start the computer in Safe Mode?

*Arrow Be aware that when you boot into Safe Mode, you are only able to sign in with your password!

Use the Shift key and Restart combination as follows:
Open the Start menu (white window on left) to reveal the Power button.
Press the Shift key, and while doing so, click the Restart option of the Power button.
Windows 10 reboots and shows a window with Choose an option.
Select: Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings

In Startup Settings select: Restart
On the next window, press the F4 key on the keyboard to select Safe Mode

Can you use the context menu and use the Delete option?


If no-go, you can also perform a System Restore if you have System Restore enabled, and there is a Restore Point before this issue happened.
Right click on Start > Command Prompt (Admin)
At the Command Prompt, type in rstrui.exe and press Enter.

System Restore opens, and you can select a Restore Point (if available).

 

Yes, the Context Menu and Delete work in Safe Mode. NOTE: I don't have a restore point new enough to correct this problem. What will be my next step? Thank you!

 

Hmmmm...if it works in Safe Mode, that takes us back to checking 3rd party extensions.
Also aside from the extension, we can look into the Graphics adapter driver.

Let's do the following...

Go to Device Manager (use the Ask me anything area), and expand the entry for: Display adapters
Make a note of what it says!

Right-click on the display adapter and elect: Disable
Restart the computer and make sure the adapter is enabled.

Now, check the context menu issue and see if this helped.


If not, please download SystemLook for your system architecture (32 or 64 Bit), from one of the links below and save to the Desktop.

32 bit: http://jpshortstuff.247fixes.com/SystemLook.exe
64 bit: http://jpshortstuff.247fixes.com/SystemLook_x64.exe

Please right-click (if you can) the downloaded file and select: Run as Administartor
Double-click SystemLook.exe to run it.

At the SystemLook interface, in the blank square area, Copy and Paste the content of the following code box:
Code: :regfind HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers[/quote] Now, click the Look button to start a scan.

When finished, a notepad window opens with the results.

Please provide the SystemLook-Notepad report in your reply.

Note: The scan may take a while depending on the number of files in the system and how fast your computer can perform the task.

 

Nothing has worked so far so I've included the SystemLook txt file.

In the Device Manager, these two adapters were listed:
Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA Quadro K4100M

Thanks for staying with me. Got to get some shuteye............

 

Good morning! Was the SystemLook file of any help?

 

Hi Nisko.

Don't know where you are at, but we are having a big ice storm.

BTW, ShellExView 3rd party extensions have a Company name other than Microsoft. Try enabling them, and use Safe Mode again to see if the context menu still works.

SystemLook did not show what was expected, since 3rd party extensions are not enabled.

 

Many things could be the cause of the right click issue in Windows 10...

Just a long shot, do you have Tablet Mode turned on?