Windows 10: Hidden items - Add to Context Menu in Windows 10

How to: Hidden items - Add to Context Menu in Windows 10

How to Add Hidden items to Context Menu in Windows 10


Information Hidden files, folders, and drives do not show by default in Windows. Windows protected system files (ex: desktop.ini files) are hidden by default.

By default, you can use Hidden items from the View tab in the ribbon of File Explorer to quickly toggle to show or hide the files and folders that are marked as Hide protected operating system files box in Folder Options.

This tutorial will show you how to add Hidden items to the context menu of the desktop, drives, folders, and folder/drive backgrounds for all users in Windows 10.

While you must be signed in as an administrator to add or remove the context menu, all users will be able to use the context menu.


EXAMPLE: "Hidden items" context menu






Here's How:

1. Do step 2 (add) or step 3 (remove) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Add "Hidden items" to Context Menu of Files and Folders
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Add_Hidden_items_to_context_menu.reg

Download

3. To Remove "Hidden items" from Context Menu of Files and Folders
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Remove_Hidden_items_from_context_menu.reg

Download
4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. If prompted, click on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.



That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Set or Unset Hidden Attribute of Files and Folders in Windows 10
• How to Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows 10
• How to Add Hide selected items to Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Add a File Attributes context menu in Windows 10

:)

 

Modify Title of Context Menu Item

This is curiously difficult. No one utility seems to offer a complete list of context menu entries as far as I know.

For example, using Shellmenuview, you can access the relevant entry in Regedit. For some it appears to offer the ability to change that text:



That's an installed program.

For others, it doesn't.



(That's a default Windows program....).

Note too the text appears in multiple places where the program is associated with multiple extensions.

The venerable ContextMenuEdit allows you to edit the text, but again, this is non-trivial- consider here the extension list supported by vlc player, undifferentiated in the left column:




To be consistent, each one would have to be edited- then if you changed player, all that would be lost.

Basically this, I suggest, is not worth pursuing except in very specific cases should there be a real need.

Considering the impact of upgrading, changes to installed program context menu entries should not be affected. Changes to Windows default entries- if that's even feasible, which I doubt, as I believe the text isn't in the registry, would be restored to default.

 

Rename item in New context menu

There are many well descripted sources about how to add/delete item from context menu new – for instance

Edit, Add, Remove items from New Context Menu in Windows 10 – but none of them states how to rename such item in reliable way.

I found article
Change Name/Description in windows context menu about this but it is not applicable in my case – sister key is not findable.

 

How to Add "Show/Hide Hidden Files" to Context Menu


Hello @m18xr2,

I'm afraid that line only works for the specific details pane check mark. It won't work for this one.

I'm not aware of a way to have a check mark toggle for this context menu.

If you like, here's a newer version of this context menu below to toggle show hidden items in Windows 10. I suppose you know it's on when you see faded items that used to be hidden.

*Arrow Hidden items - Add to Context Menu in Windows 10 Customization Tutorials

 

Add or Remove Start Context menu items

Nyima,

I was not asking about adding and removing regular app items to the start menu, but rather adding or removing items from the Context Menu (Win+X). Specifically, I would like to add the Devices and Printers item to the list.

Thank you for the response.

 

Changing the file types available in the new menu item of the windows context menu

How do you alter the file types that are listed when you select 'New'
from the Windows 10 context menu? New software installations add their file types and replace items that were already listed. For example I can create WinZip and Zipx files after installing WinZip, but I cannot create a new Visio file because it is no longer
in the list.