How to remove unnecessary items from the context menu. How to remove unnecessary tasks from the Windows context menu

For those who have been using the Windows operating system for a short time, the idea of ​​removing items from the Explorer context menu is unlikely to be particularly interesting. But if you have been working with Windows for quite a long time without reinstalling and install various programs on your computer from time to time, then it is likely that your context menu has grown to serious sizes and looks something like this:

To make the context menu more convenient, you can clear it of unnecessary and unused items. There are special programs for editing the context menu, such as FileMenu Tools or ShellExView. However, in this article we will learn how to remove items from the context menu using standard Windows OS tools.

Removing items from the context menu

The easiest way to remove items from the context menu is to look in the program settings and uncheck the corresponding items.

However, this is not always possible, since some programs do not provide a function for disabling items in the Explorer context menu. In this case, you can use the registry editor and remove items from the context menu, so to speak, manually.

I would like to warn you that before carrying out any manipulations with the Windows system registry, it is very advisable to first save a backup copy of the registry in a safe place. This is quite easy to do. In the registry window you need to open the menu File and select item Export.

To restore the registry using a backup copy, you only need to double-click on the previously saved file and agree to add information to the registry.

So, we launch the System Registry Editor using the command regedit in the window Execute(Win+R). Then you need to go to the registry branch: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers. Here you will see most of the context menu items.

To remove an unnecessary element from the context menu, right-click on it and select Delete.

If any context menu element could not be found in the above registry section, then it is located here - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\Shellex\ContextMenuHandlers.

In order to remove items from the context menu that appear when you right-click on a folder, go to the section HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shellex\ContextMenuHandlers, as well as in the section HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers.

If you need to remove any item from the context menu To open with, then you need to look here: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OoenWithList.

By the way, if, when you try to make changes to the system registry, the message “Editing the registry is prohibited by the system administrator” appears, advice from . It describes in detail how to remove the ban on access to registry editing tools.

Still have questions? - We will answer them for FREE

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.

Over time, the Windows context menu grows. The longer you use your computer and the more programs you install, the longer it becomes. You can clean it and remove unnecessary fields using CCleaner or editing the registry.

First way. Go to the Piriform website in the downloads section and download the free version of CCleaner. There is only one difference from the paid version - there is no technical support.

Install the program and run it. If you wish, you can change the interface language to Russian.

Go to the “Service” section and select “Startup” in the menu that appears. There are several tabs here, we are interested in the “Context Menu”. Go to this tab, you will see a list of programs that have added their commands to the context menu, and their status: enabled or not. Those commands that you do not use can be deleted. To do this, right-click on the application field and select the “Delete” option. You can return a deleted command only after reinstalling the application or reconfiguring it.

However, you can clean the menu without programs - by making changes to the registry manually. To do this, open the registry editor (Windows/system32/regedit.exe or through a search in Start).

Find the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers branch. It shows the commands that appear in the context menu of files of any type. Remove values ​​that you think are unnecessary.

Commands associated with specific file types can be found in folders under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT branch. Select a file extension that you see frequently and remove unused commands.

The commands in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Directory\shell and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Folder\shell branches are responsible for the context menu of folders.

After installing some programs, various commands appear in the context menus, which are not always necessary (especially after these programs are uninstalled). Let's put things in order in the diet, leaving only really healthy dishes on the menu!

Right-click menus are called contextual menus because their contents depend on context—in other words, on what program you're in and what you clicked on. File utilities, many free programs and other applications, to make them more convenient to use, often add their own commands and entire sections to the context menus. This is done, in particular, by the archivers WinZip and WinRar, as well as the email clients Outlook Express and The Bat!, which add commands for packing and sending by email as attachments to the context menus of files.

Unfortunately, the more such programs are installed, the longer the context menus, the more cluttered they are, and the more difficult it is to find the right command. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that many programs, especially free ones, have the problem that the context menu commands they created remain even after the programs themselves are uninstalled.

However, some utilities provide convenient ways to configure and delete context menu commands. This is the best and most reliable way to restore order. But if there is no such function in the program (or if you managed to remove it), the composition of the menu can be changed using the Windows system registry.

However, before you go into the registry (which is not always safe), we will consider several of the most common programs that provide not only the creation of context menu commands, but also the ability to safely delete them.

WinZip Archives

The popular archiver utility WinZip adds several commands to file context menus (such as Add to Zip) or highlights them in the WinZip submenu. To configure these commands, run WinZip in "classic" mode (not wizard mode) and select the command Options > Configuration(Options > Settings). In version 8.1 and later, go to the System(System) to section Explorer Enhancements(Extension of "Explorer"). In order not to rummage around for too long in search of the desired command, in these versions you can disable the Display context menu items in a submenu(Non-cascading menu) - and then the archiving commands will be located in the main menu, as in previous versions of WinZip.

To change individual commands, select or disable the appropriate items under Context menu command(Context menu commands). By turning off the mode Display icons on context men us (Icons in the menu), you can leave the commands in the menu, but remove the icons.

Finally, to completely eliminate WinZip commands from the context menu, disable the Use shell extension(Use shell extensions, in versions 7 and 8) or Enable Explorer enhancements(Extension of "Explorer"). However, keep in mind that you will lose the ability to extract content from the archive by right-clicking it, and you will not be able to expand the archive by dragging files onto its icon.

Customize the context menu commands created
popular archiver WinZip

Music Winamp

The free Winamp media player adds three commands to the folder menu: Play in Winamp(Play in Winamp), Enqueue in Winamp(Queue Winamp) and Add to Winamp's Bookmark list(Add to Winamp bookmark list). To remove them, open Winamp and select Options > Preferences(Tools > Options) or right-click in the program window or panel and select the same command from its own context menu. An image of the hierarchical menu structure will appear on the left side of the window. In chapter General Preferences(General Settings) select branch File types(File Types) - in earlier versions it is called Setup(Settings) - and turn off the mode Show Winamp in folder context menus in Windows Explorer(Show Winamp in Explorer folder context menus) or, in earlier versions, Directory context menus(Directory context menus) and click on the button Close(Close).

Explorer context menus

In Windows 2000 and XP Pro, to remove individual commands from the context menu My Computer(My Computer) and folders you can use the tool Group Policy(Group Policy). Let's say we want to remove from the context menu My Computer(My computer) command Manage(Management) by which the administration tool is launched Computer Management(Computer Control). To do this you need to select Start > Run(Start > Run), enter gpedit.msc and click Enter. A window will open, the left panel of which will display a hierarchical tree of commands. Go to section Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer, double click on the element Hides the Manage item on the Windows Explorer context menu(Hide the "Manage" item in the Explorer context menu), select the mode Enable(Enabled) and click the button OK.

This utility can also be launched using the command Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Computer Management(Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Computer Management) and if you select the command Start > R un, enter compmgmt.msc and click on the button OK.

To remove all folder context menus in Windows 2000, go to the icon Windows Explorer(Explorer) in the left pane and double-click on the item Remove Windows Explorer's default context men u (Delete the standard Explorer context menu). In Windows XP, you need to select the element of the same name, activate the mode Enable(Enabled) and click on the button OK. The next time you right-click a folder on your desktop or an icon in Explorer, nothing will happen - although the context menus for other objects, such as toolbars, will still work. To cancel these changes, just return to the described dialog box, select the mode Not configured(Not configured) and click OK.

In Windows 9x, to edit the context menu of a specific file type, you need to open a window My Computer(My Computer) and select the command View > Folder Options(View > Folder Options). A dialog box will open Folder Options(Folder properties). If you go to the tab File Types(File types), select the file of the desired type and click on the button Edit(Edit), another window will open - Edit File Type(Edit file type). This window has several useful functions, in particular you can change its icon or description. But the main thing is that at the bottom of the window there are those context menu commands that can be changed, and a number of buttons for this: Remove(Delete), Set Default(Default) and Edit(Edit) and New(Create).

Configuring Windows 9x Explorer context menus

As you can see, context menu commands can not only be deleted, but also created. True, for this it is necessary to be aware of certain agreements adopted when drawing up such teams. You can, of course, read smart books on this topic. However, for educational purposes, you can use a free program with a set of ready-made contextual commands. It's called Send To Toys and is located at http://www.gabrieleponti.com/software. Many of them, such as passing the file name and path to the clipboard, are useful in their own right - but even more so as a visual aid for composing your own context menu commands.

Last argument: Regedit

If a program does not provide a way to remove its commands from the context menu, you can go directly to the Windows registry. But first, in case you make a mistake somewhere, it is better to create a backup copy of Registry.

Next, select the command Start > Run(Start > Run), type regedit and click Enter. In the left panel of the window that opens, find the element HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT(above) and double click on it. This system registry key stores data about file types, including the context menus associated with them.

To remove a command from the folder context menu, expand the branch in the left pane HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell and double-click on the shell element so that additional keys become visible (some computers may have a shellex key). Each such key corresponds to one context menu command. True, there are no built-in Windows commands here - they cannot be removed. But commands added by external applications are entirely within our control.

Just in case, create a backup copy of this part of the registry - what if you later want to restore everything as it was, or just make a mistake? To do this, highlight the shell key in the left panel and select the command Registry > Export Registry File or File > Export Registry File(Registry > Export Registry File or File > Export Registry File). Select the location where the backup will be stored (don't worry - it won't take up much space), give the file a name and make sure the mode is selected Selected branch(Dedicated branch). Click the button Save(Save) and select the key corresponding to the menu command you want to delete.

For example, in order to delete the command Browse with ACDSee created by the image viewer ACDSee, select key ACDSee and press the key Delete or right-click on it and select the command Delete(Delete). After that select File > Exit(File > Exit) to close Registry Editor. The next time you right-click on the folder, this command will no longer be in the menu. And in case you later want to return it to its place, find the file you created with a backup copy of the registry branch, right-click on it and select the command Merge(Join). To start the procedure for returning this branch to the registry, click on the button Yes(Yes) and then on the button OK.

Removing a context menu command from the system registry

Some context menu commands are not included in the Directory, but in the Folder section - more precisely, in subsections HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex. For example, this way you can remove the command to scan a file with Kaspersky Anti-Virus from the context menu (after creating a backup copy of the branch).

To remove context menu commands for other file types, follow a similar procedure. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find the registry key for the desired file type. One way to do this is to open Windows Explorer(Explorer) or any folder window, select the file of the appropriate type and use the combination Shift+F10 to open the file's context menu. Then return to Registry Editor, expand branch HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, select team Edit > Find(Edit > Find) and enter the name of the command you want to delete. At the same time, make sure that in the section Look at(Search in) mode was selected Data(Data). Click the button Find Next. If you're lucky, you'll find a command that has the text you entered in its key. File type keys usually contain their extensions - for example, the key for files with the TXT extension is called txtfile. As in the previous cases, export the parent key (such as shell) for all the keys you want to delete (in case you make a mistake and want to restore everything as it was), then highlight the key you want to delete and press the key Delete.

Searching for a key in the system registry: you may get lucky and find what you need

Some commands are present in the context menus of several file types. To remove such commands, you need to open the key in the system registry editor HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers, select team Registry > Export Registry File(Registry > Export Registry File) or File > Export Registry File(File > Export Registry File) to create a backup copy of this branch, and find in it the keys corresponding to the menu commands you want to remove. For example, in order to remove commands created during installation Adobe Acrobat 6 for many file types, select a key Adobe.Acrobat.ContextMenu and press the key Delete or right-click on this key and select the command Delete(Delete).

Is it necessary?..

Each application customizes the context menu in its own way. Sometimes you have to wade through the jungle of dialog boxes, look for hints in the help system and even on the Internet. And yet, in the end, it often turns out that nothing can be changed. For example, if the Kaspersky antivirus scan command is deleted from the registry, then the same Norton AntiVirus command is “glued” forever, so all that remains is to relax and... get used to it.

You've probably noticed that the context menu is different in each build of Windows. In addition, often after installing various programs, unnecessary items are added to the context menu. For example, after installing any player, a new item for the right mouse button will definitely appear. That is, when we right-click on any file to open it in the specified program, an option to run using this program will be displayed.

Here, for example, is my context menu:

It's not quite small anymore.

Over time, there are a lot of items in the context menu; in short, it becomes clogged with unnecessary rubbish. And the question arises: how to get rid of “unnecessary” items? Although many programs have already been created for these purposes, let’s consider how this can be solved using standard system tools.

The system registry stores all data about the operation of Windows programs and components. In this regard, careless handling of the registry and the slightest change can greatly affect the operation of the system, so be careful when making changes to it.

How to remove unnecessary items from the context menu?

Let's go to Start press the button Execute.

In the window that opens, enter the command Regedit and click OK .

Open the following folders:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, *, shellexe, ContextMenuHandlers

Having reached this path, we need to do the following. Right-click on the folder menu item that we want to delete. Let's say I want to remove shortcuts from the context menu - Notepad notepad, AIMP player. In the list that opens, select Delete.