Changing the context menu in windows 7. How to change the right-click menu

The context menu (right-click menu) is a convenient tool for speeding up work in Windows. Today we will reveal a few simple secrets of working with the context menu and the system registry. Read how to customize this important element to suit your needs without third-party applications, using only the built-in registry editor regedit.

How convenient is the context menu (right-click menu) and why clear it

I would like to immediately define the terminology so that there is no confusion in the future.

The Explorer context menu, or action menu as it is sometimes called, is a set of commands that can be accessed by clicking right(contextual) mouse buttons on any file or folder. Depending on the object on which it is called, the menu will have a different appearance or "context".

Note. Of course, not only Windows Explorer, but also most installed applications have an action menu, because this is the most convenient way to access the most important commands.

Immediately after installing the operating system, the context menu has a standard and neat appearance, but as additional software is installed, new items are constantly added to it. Eventually, there are so many of them that using this useful tool becomes a chore. Therefore, it is critically important to be able to maintain the contents of the Windows context menu in order for fast and comfortable work.

This can be done in two ways:

• In semi-automatic mode, using third-party software.
• Manually, using the Windows Registry Editor.

Perhaps the first method may be a little easier, but with the second method there is no need to use various dubious programs downloaded from the Internet, everything is done using standard means.

Moreover, using the registry will allow you to delve deeper into the internal processes of the system and learn a lot of new things, so we will talk about the second option.

How to edit the Explorer context menu through the registry

Launch the registry editor:

1. Enter the menu Start.
2. Enter the command in the search bar regedit and press Enter.

Important! Any careless and thoughtless operations can have dangerous consequences, including complete failure of Windows to boot. To protect yourself from errors, be sure to make a backup copy of the registry before you start editing it!

Procedure for creating a backup registry file:

1. Go to the menu " File" in an open editor.
2. Select the item “ Export».
3. In the window that opens, in the lower field " Export range", select " Entire registry».
4. Specify the desired location and name of the new file and click “ Save».

Note.If problems arise after manual editing, the registry can be restored to its original state from a backup using the “ Import" on the menu " File» editor regedit.

As you can see, the registry itself has an original tree structure. The tree itself is displayed on the left side of the editor, and the list of parameters in the selected branch is displayed on the right. To work with the context menu, we are interested in only one section: “ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT».

As already mentioned, different sets of commands correspond to different objects (folders, files), so you will have to edit them in the registry separately. Our main goals: clearing folder context menu And common menu items for all file types.

Important! We will not change the standard system context menu items through the registry. Only items added by installed applications are edited.

Clearing the folder context menu

All directory context menu settings are stored in branches:

... Directoty Shell.

... Directory Shellex ContextMenuHandlers .

... Folder Shell ex ContextMenuHandlers .

If you look closely, you can easily see familiar commands among the branches of these branches. So, a branch of the registry " Directory Shell" contains the items at the top of the menu, and " Directory Shellex ContextMenuHandlers» – bottom. " Folder ShellEx ContextMenuHandlers", basically repeats the content of the previous thread, so remove the same items from both threads if necessary.

All that remains is to remove the unnecessary commands. The choice of what to remove and what to leave on the list is a personal matter for everyone. Moreover, depending on the list of installed applications, the contents of the menu will differ significantly. Right-click on the unwanted registry entry and select " Delete" Then repeat this operation for the remaining selected elements.

This is the neat appearance of the registry branches in question and the menu itself after the cleaning procedure is completed.

Clearing the file context menu

The procedure itself is no different from that carried out in the previous section. Only the branches of the registry branch " HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT", storing the necessary parameters.

Now this:

...*shellexContextMenuHandlers.

They store common elements for all file types registered in the system.

Following the example of cleaning for folders, we delete all unnecessary branches in the registry and get a beautiful and convenient context menu.

Secrets of Productive Computer Work

Context menu in Windows

The menu is the most important element of the graphical user interface, with which you can select the desired program option.

Types of menus on a computer:

by execution – text and graphic

by function - main application menu, pop-up, context and system menu

What is a context menu and how to call it

A context menu is a separate type of menu on a computer; a list of available commands for working with this file.

Where is the context menu?

Its storage location is the Windows registry, which consists of two sections. One part of the programs is stored in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell section, the other in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers section.

How does the context menu open?

There are different ways to bring up the context menu

There is a special button at the bottom of the keyboard, between the "ALT" key and the "CTRL" key. It shows additional functions and actions available for a given file. It usually has a sign and a mouse pointer on it. This button brings up the context menu.

It is used if you need to highlight shortcuts to necessary files, as well as inside already running programs. When you click this button, the context menu is called up according to the current situation.

Right mouse button on keyboard can also be successfully replaced with this button.

This method is for those who prefer to use the keyboard, while you can open the context menu using the mouse.

Move the mouse over the desired file and select it by left-clicking. Right-clicking the highlighted area will open a context menu. When you select multiple items, the context menu will display the actions available for the selected group of files.

How to open the context menu when working on a laptop or netbook? On these devices, the mouse function is transferred to the built-in touchpad. The context menu is called up by right-clicking on the highlighted area.

How to customize the right-click context menu

For the right mouse button, a simple program called Context Menu Tuner will help you configure the context menu. She will tell you how to configure the Windows 7 context menu.

Let's look at how to configure the right mouse button.

Download and run the program

The program interface consists of two different panels: the left one contains a list of commands supported by the program, the right one includes the OS explorer areas. Set the Russian language in the settings

Adding a command. To do this, select it on the left side and “connect” it with the preferred element on the right. Click "Add".

Other commands are added in the same way.

To delete a command, select it and click "Delete"

The right-click context menu is now configured.

Every Windows OS user knows that, regardless of the program, with the right mouse button you can call up an additional, so-called context menu, which contains a set of special commands and links. Let's try to figure out why it is needed and how to work with it correctly.

What is the Windows context menu

Speaking about the context menu of “operating systems” of the Windows family, I would immediately like to note the fact that it is not some kind of exclusive development of Microsoft Corporation. Mac OS X or Linux also has such an element.

In general, if you understand what a context menu is, it can be characterized as an additional set of commands for quick access to some functions, say, without calling a specific application or control.

For example, everyone knows that the context menu always contains the “Open with...” command, after which a list of the most suitable applications for working with the file is displayed. You understand how much more convenient it is to open a file here than to call up the program, and then go to the “File” menu and use the “Open” line or the Ctrl + O key combination.

In addition, in addition to commands, there is also a set of special tools with which you can learn many things. But more on that later.

Type and organization of the context menu

Let's now look at how the Windows 7 context menu is organized. Probably everyone has noticed that the menu itself has special separators in the form of thin horizontal lines. The meaning of their use is to distinguish between similar actions or commands belonging to the same program.

Here it is worth paying attention to the fact that the context menu in a so-called “clean” system, immediately after installation, may be very different from what the user will see after installing additional programs and utilities. This is due to the fact that many installation packages integrate quick access commands to some of their main functions directly into this menu during the installation process.

Most of all, this applies to anti-virus software, media players, programs for working with disk images, archivers, etc. In principle, the user can add his own items to ensure ease of use.

Additional menu on the Desktop and in program windows

Surely, every user has noticed that the context menu in different programs or on the same desktop differs in the list of items and commands. It `s naturally. For example, if you call up the menu on the desktop, it becomes clear that the “Open” line used for folders and files is not needed there. It’s another matter when the mouse button is clicked on a shortcut or saved file located exactly on the desktop.

As is already clear, in different programs the context menu may also contain different items. In this case, everything depends on the specifics of the application. Compare at least the usual Explorer and the Word text editor. But for now we will talk about the “native” Windows OS commands.

Main context menu items

Drop-down menus are present almost everywhere, even in the main Start menu. In any of them you can see some points marked with arrows. This is done to show that the clause itself contains additional subclauses.

As usual, for files and folders, at the very top there is always an “Open” command, highlighted in bold. When you click on this line in relation to files, they will be opened in some program. You need to know that selection occurs only if the application itself sets the file association with this particular program. Otherwise, using this command will only result in the system prompting you to review and select the most suitable application. If several programs are associated with a file, you can use the line “Open with...”, which will contain a list of programs that work with the extension of the file you are looking for.

It goes without saying that the context menu of the same Explorer contains commands such as “Copy”, “Delete”, “Cut”, “Paste”, “Send”, “Rename”, “Create a shortcut”, etc. Even a child knows this. On the other hand, there is also a “Properties” line, the use of which provides the user with complete information about the object being used.

So, for example, when calling such a command by clicking on the computer icon on the desktop, you can get general information about the main parameters of the computer system and the installed operating system. For the desktop, the context menu mainly provides only the use of settings and options for synchronizing folders with shared attributes.

Some menus also provide tools for administering or inspecting selected items.

Using additional context menu commands

Now let's talk about some additional commands. If you give an example of an installed antivirus, you will notice that the context menu will always contain lines like “Scan” or “Scan with...”. Agree, it’s very convenient.

The same applies to archivers, because you can add a file (folder) to an archive or extract it from there with one click.

Many media players behave this way, integrating their own commands into the system's context menu. Most often, items for adding to a playlist or playing (video and audio) appear here for multimedia files, and for graphics this is the viewing command. In general, it all depends on which program integrates its own command lines into the menu, and what objects are associated with it.

Adding and removing commands in the system registry

So we got to the solution to the problem - how to add your own items to the context menu. There are several ways to do this. In this case, we can offer at least three options. Two of them relate to editing the system registry, and one concerns the use of specialized utilities.

You can use adding keys in the system registry, but if you don’t know which keys and their values ​​are responsible for a particular process, you can waste a lot of time, achieve nothing in the end, and bring the system to a state of complete inoperability.

Therefore, let's consider the simplest way to work with the registry. First, in the Run menu, use the regedit editor access command. Here you need to go to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT section, find AllFilesystemObjects, then shellex and finally ContextMenuHandlers.

In the last section, select an additional menu by right-clicking and execute the command to create a new object and key “New” and “Key”, respectively. Now you need to enter a name for the newly created key, which will be displayed in the context menu, after which we select the “Change” command and in the overview indicate the location of the program or application that will be responsible for the new action. We confirm the choice and reboot the system.

Removing keys in this section will cause the corresponding command from the menu to disappear. But if you don’t know which key is responsible for what, it’s better not to change the standard configuration.

Using the Context Menu Tuner

However, as practice shows, no one really wants to rummage through the registry (you never know what can happen). Therefore, we can recommend special utilities for adding and removing items to the OS context menu.

One of the simplest, but very functional, is a utility called Context Menu Tuner. It will help you quickly change the menu beyond recognition. Everything is simple here. The main window includes two panels. On the left are commands, on the right are folders and basic parameters. As is already clear, there is nothing easier than selecting the desired command and using the button to add it, say, to the desktop menu. Removal is done in reverse.

It is worth noting some additional options. First, you can select a file extension, and only then associate the corresponding command and program with it.

Changing the context menu access button

In the standard version, the default context menu button is the right mouse button. It’s very easy to swap the buttons and call up the context menu with a left click. To do this, you need to go to the mouse settings in the Control Panel and make the necessary manipulations. That's all.

The Explorer context menu is the menu that appears when you right-click (Right Mouse Button) on some object (file or folder) or simply on an empty space in a folder or Desktop. If your system is new, then the context menu will be relatively empty. Is it just something added from the video card drivers, for example like this:

but if the system has been installed for a long time, then there will be more such points. For example like this:

As you can see, over time, in addition to the standard menu items, more installed programs were added. On the one hand it is convenient. After all, you don’t need to launch a shortcut or search for a program, but you can directly perform actions right from the context menu. But on the other hand, over time there are a lot of such items and sometimes you even have to scroll up or down the context menu in search of the necessary items.
Therefore, sometimes you want to remove these items so as not to get in the way. After all, you don’t use all the points often.

So how remove item from context menu.

In order to remove a program item from the context menu (CM for short), you can use both standard methods of the Operating System itself, and using the programs themselves or specially designed ones.

The easiest way to remove it is to look in the settings of the program (which you want to remove) for the desired item. Usually it is located somewhere in Integrations or Loading/adding. For example, in order to remove the famous WinRAR item from KM, you need to uncheck the Shell integrations:

Other programs may also have similar settings.

It’s another matter when you haven’t found the necessary settings to delete or they don’t exist at all (this happens too). Then you can use the standard method of the systems itself, namely editing.
I warn you right away that before starting work it would be better to play it safe and make a backup copy of the registry.
So, let's launch the registry and go to the branch
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/*/shellexe/ContextMenuHandlers

and we see here these same items from the context menu.
Now right-click on the desired item (the item from the KM that you want to delete) and select Delete:

We agree with the following warning:

reboot and check. The item should disappear.

If you haven't missed it, check out the thread.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFileSystemObjects\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers
and do the same.

On a note:
If you want to delete an item specifically from KM -> Create

then you need to know the type of file () that is being created. For example, for Microsoft Office Access the file extension is .accdb, which means you need to look for it in the registry branch HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and then delete the ShellNew subkey there

If you want to remove from KM those items that appear when you RMB on folders, then you need to look at the branches:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

For the item "Open with..." the thread answers
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList

For KM Logical drives branches:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

You can also delete items using special programs. For example using ShellExView

Its principle is simple: select the desired item and click on the red circle at the top of the program. The main thing here is that Type was Context menu

Now a little about how create your own item in the context menu.
The fact is that adding such an item for folders or specific files, as well as in an “empty” space using the registry will not work. You can only assign it to when it opens with RMB on the Desktop. Therefore, I recommend reading the article and taking advantage of what is described there.

Well, or use another utility - Ultimate Windows Context Menu Customizer() which has a bunch of features, but in English. And there we only need to select the item and delete it:

If anyone is interested in more details and can’t figure it out, write in the comments and I’ll help. There, in the left column you need to select an item (computer, folder, files, etc.) where the context menu is called up, and to the right, select what to delete and click the Remove Item button at the bottom. If you are fluent in English, you will understand.

You can guess how to add your program to KM -> Create if you read the entire article carefully, namely about deleting one of this items. You just need to create a subsection on the contrary and write for the desired extension.

In general, the article turned out to be a little chaotic and more about removing it from the context menu, because... I think this is more relevant, and there is an article about adding. Therefore, if anything is not clear, write in the comments. Let's figure it out.

We are already familiar with the concept of a context menu. It's time to deepen our knowledge about it and consider the topic - How to remove or add commands to the Windows context menu.

Windows functionality allows the user to edit the context menu to suit their taste.

Editing the context menu (a set of “Explorer” or “action” menu commands) is possible in one of two ways:

• Through program parameters;
• Through the Windows registry;
• Using additionally installed applications.

Let's see how it's done:

Installed programs themselves often have (by default) the function of integration into a set of context menu (CM) commands. Then such a parameter is present in their settings on the main tabs, or maybe on such as “Integration”, “Download” or “Add”, etc. For example, for the VinRAR archiver it is enough to uncheck the box in the settings:

It is clear that in this way you can either add (install) or remove (remove) command(s) from the list. The same applies to other applications.

Working with the registry

When working with the Windows Registry, you need to be very careful. To get into the registry, you need to search in the Start menu by typing “regedit” and run the found executable file “regedit.exe”:

Making a copy

Before editing the Registry of any version of Windows (including Windows 7), do not forget to create a backup copy of it to be on the safe side. To do this, in the editor, on the “File” tab, select the “Export” command. Select “Entire registry” at the bottom of the dialog that opens. By assigning a name and specifying the location - “Save”:

If something irreparable happens (especially for an inexperienced person), you can return the registry to its previous state using the “File” / “Restore” command, specifying the previously created backup file.

Cleaning up the directory set

The registry itself looks like a tree-like block diagram (on the left), each of the branches of which has its own parameters (on the right). The “shell”, “Shellex ContextMenuHandlers” and “Folder\shell” branches of the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Directory” directory are responsible for the context menu of folders. Having examined these branches in more detail, you can make sure that the “shell” folder contains the upper part of the context set, and “Shellex ContextMenuHandlers” - the lower part. The folder “Folder\shell” repeats the previous one.

Removal of program elements from the set is carried out in each of the branches. Right-click to select the delete element and call the “Delete” command:

Now for the files

The same procedure is used here, but in different branches. Since the “*/shellexContextMenuHandlers” and “*/shell” branches in the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” registry section are responsible for the set of Context Menu commands for files:

The removal procedure is completely similar. Just don’t forget to delete unnecessary things in both branches.

We use third-party applications

It is much easier (and safer for a beginner) to remove or add an item to the context menu of any version of Windows (including Windows 7) using additional utilities.

After installation and launch, in the program window (in the “Type” column), you can see all programs from the Windows context menu (type = Context Menu).

Remove unnecessary items by selecting and clicking the red circle:

An interesting and useful utility with a self-explanatory name (available in a free version) Ccleaner. It has many beneficial properties. Website - http://ccleaner.org.ua/. In our case, it clears the registry of unused entries, paths to programs, shortcuts, etc.:

To clear the Context Menu, go to “Tools” and find “Context Menu” in the “Startup” tabs. A list of applications added to the set and their status will be displayed here (enabled: yes/no):

To delete - while on a line, use the right mouse to call up the “Delete” command. Since repeated return (inclusion in the list) is possible only when reinstalling or reconfiguring the application, it is recommended to select the “Disable” option. - Then it can be easily returned (“Enable”).

Add with FileMenu Tools

It's very easy to add a new item to the context menu using the FileMenu Tools program.

It offers the user three tabs:

• Left - management of suggested elements;
• Medium - to configure the “Send” function;
• Right - disables commands entered by third-party programs from the list:

You need to add a new element using the “Add Command” command. To specify its parameters, the lower right part of the window is used - “Properties”. For example, to add the line “Open in Firefox” to the menu list (opening HTM and HTML files):

You need to enter the name in “Menu Text”, and extension options in “Extensions”:

In “Program Properties” the route to the executable file of the Firefox.exe application is specified:

The added item is saved by clicking the green element at the top of the window (left):

This article helped you understand the various ways to edit the context menu. Now you know how to add and remove elements from it not only using Windows, but also using other programs.