Windows 10: How to restore the classic File Explorer context menu in Windows 11

Microsoft changed File Explorer in its new Windows 11 operating system significantly. The default file manager displays just a few icons at the top, instead of the tabbed interface that it uses in Windows 10. Another big difference becomes apparent when you right-click in File Explorer. The Windows 11 File Explorer displays a streamlined menu with just a few options by default. To get the classic context menu, you have to select the "show more options" link. Basically, what Microsoft did is add two File Explorer context menus to Windows 11.

Most third-party program shortcuts are found in the second, classic version, of the context menu. Some Windows 11 users may prefer to go back to the classic context menu in File Explorer, as it lists all available options and not just a selection of actions.



Microsoft made it difficult to enable the classic Explorer context menu in Windows 11. There is no option in the settings or in File Explorer, and several of the Registry edits don't work anymore in the latest version of Windows 11. It is still possible though, and one of the easiest options is provided by the free Winaero Tweaker tool.

Here is what you need to do to enable the classic context menu in Windows 11

1. Download the latest version of Winaero Tweaker from the official program website.
2. Run the installer, and select portable version or choose to install it.
3. Start WinAero Tweaker after the process.
4. Go to Windows 11 > Classic Full Context Menu.
5. Check the "Enable classic full context menus" box.
6. Select the Restart Explorer button to complete the process.

File Explorer displays the classic full context menu whenever you right-click on drives, files, folders or any other item in File Explorer on Windows 11.



If you compare the two context menus shown on the screenshots above, you will notice that Windows 11's new context menu does not display most of the options displayed in the classic menu. If you access functions of third-party tools often in File Explorer, e.g. an archiver like WinRar, then you may prefer enabling the classic menu to speed up the process.

Microsoft did add a shortcut to Windows 11 that opens the classic context menu right away. Hit Shift-F10, and the classic version is displayed right away. It is not an elegant solution, as you have your hands on the keyboard to activate the shortcut. Unless you use the keyboard to select the action as well, you may prefer enabling the classic context menu in File Explorer on Windows 11 instead.

Windows 11's release date is October 5, 2021.

Now You: compact or full context menu, which do you prefer, and why?

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Customize File Explorer context menu?

ShellMenuView is a small utility that displays the list of static menu items that appeared in the context menu when you right-click a file/folder on Windows Explorer, and allows you to easily disable unwanted menu items.

ShellMenuView: Disable / enable context menu items of Explorer

 

[Tip]Classic Shell - Get back classic features of the Windows UI(Classic Start Menu)

You can get Classic Shell Here. It is open source and free.*Rockout :rockout:

When installing, do note that you can install the Classic Explorer and Classic Start Menu features seperately, so if you don't have use for one or the other don't install it if you want to save a little hard drive space. Though the total install only takes about 4MB with both features installed.





Now there are so many tweaks that Classic Shell offers there is no way I will be able to go over each one. But I do suggest if you are missing a UI feature from an older version of Windows that was removed from Win7, try Classic Shell, because I haven't seen a feature yet that wasn't in there. But I'm just going to go over a few features that I use and like for now.

First of all, the Classic Start Menu. It is pretty self explainitory. Right when you finish installing Classic Shell, the Classic Start menu will be active by default. Now you can set different keys to open either the Classic Start Menu or the Standard Start Menu. Personally, I usually have it set to that clicking on the start button opens the Classic Start Menu, while pushing the Windows key on my keyboard opens the Standard Start Menu.





Also, with the Classic Start menu Shutting down goes back to the classic Windows XP style.





You can access all of your settings for both Classic Explorer and Classic Start Menu by going to the program folder in the start menu.





Some of the features I use for Classic Explorer are the Up Arrow(which is enabled by default) along with disabling breadcrumbs. If you aren't sure what breadcrumbs are, look at the screenshot, breadcrumbs are the new way the address bar works in Win7, I think it was a way to eliminate the up arrow. Anyway, now that I have an up arrow again they are pretty worthless. So I disable them so that the actual path is dislayed in the address bar.





One last thing I like to do is disable the Alternate File/Folder conflict dialog boxes. I actually prefer the new style that came with Win7. By default these options are enabled, which brings up the classic style dialog box whenever you are trying to copy over a file/folder that already exists.





There are hundreds of little UI tweaks available in Classic Shell. So I would suggest you try it. If you don't like it, uninstalling it removes all the tweaks and returns everything to normal. And you can pretty much turn off every tweak you don't want, I know some people that use it just for the Up arrow in Explorer.

*Toast :toast:

 

Custom context menu entries

So, just throwing this out there, in case somone knows.

I have added a custom context menu entry for the program rightload, since by default the menu is broken in vistax64.

It works pefect with single files, but when I select mutiple files and try to open, I get mutiple instances of the program (which makes sense), here is my entry:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Rightload\Rightload.exe --server=1 --autostart %1

So the %1 passes the filename to the program, and when I select multiple files it is just opening multiple instances of rightload each with a different file.

What I'd like to do is be able to pass a list of the files selected to the program. Since I know it is capable of uploading multiple files from the context menu, all in one instance.

So, is there something I can pass besides %1 that will do this? I have looked around and can't seem to find an answer anywhere... *Frown