The context menu in Windows 11's File Explorer is a quick way to perform various actions, many of which rely on apps you have installed. Many of these apps will create context menu entries as needed, but what if you want to create your own shortcuts to be available this way? Well, you can, you just have to be willing to do some fiddling.
You can add items to the Windows context menu in two ways. One is by using the Registry Editor, which doesn't require you to install anything, and the other is to use a third-party app. We'll focus on the first option. One important thing to note is that regardless of what you do here, you won't be able to add items to the modern context menu on Windows 11. That means if you want to see your new item, you have to click Show more options or hold Shift when you right-click to open the old context menu instead. Alternatively, you can also make it so that the extended context menu always opens by default. On Windows 10, this isn't a problem.
Miss the old context menu on Windows 11? Here's how to change it back
The new context menu isn't for everyone
How to add items to the Windows context menu with Registry Editor
The easiest way to add items to the context menu is to use the Registry Editor, assuming you don't want to install any apps. Adding items to the context menu in File Explorer is a bit convoluted, though, because it depends on where you're performing the right-click. Windows handles right clicks on files and folders differently, so you have to make changes in different places. Here's how it goes:
- Open Registry Editor (you can search for it in the Start menu).
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Navigate to one of these folders, depending on where you want to add the options to:
- For right-clicking on a file: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell
- For right-clicking a folder in the left-side navigation pane: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
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For right-clicking an empty area or folder on the main pane: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell
If you don't have administrator permissions, you can replace HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT with HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes to change settings for your account only.
- Right-click the shell folder and choose New > Key.
- Give it an easily identifiable name of your choice.
- Select the new folder you created, and double-click the (Default) value on the right pane to edit it. Enter the text you want to be displayed in the context menu, then click OK.
- To add an icon to the context menu entry, right-click an empty area on the right pane and choose New > String value. Name this new item Icon.
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Double-click the Icon item. To use the icon for an app, simply enter the path of the app you're opening. For this example, we'll use Brave browser, so the path I'm using is
"C:\Users\joaoc\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"
You can also point to a specific icon file if you want to use a different icon. - Right-click the new folder you created in step 3 and choose New > Key again. Name this new folder Command.
- Click the Command folder and then double-click the (Default) value on the right-side pane.
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Enter the command you want that item to perform. For example, to open an app like Brave browser, you'd have to copy the path to the app's main executable file. In the case of Brave, that would be:
"C:\Users\joaoc\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe"
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If you want to pass the current path of the file you're right-clicking to the app you're opening, you have to add %1. If you're clicking a folder or an empty area, you have to add %v instead. As an example, the value would look like this:
"C:\Users\joaoc\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" "%1"
- Click OK.
- Repeat the process for all the entries you want to create.
You can always remove entries you don't need anymore by deleting the key you created in step 3.
Creating shortcuts to websites
You can also make it so that the command you're creating opens a website. For that, in addition to the path to the executable file of the browser, you'll want to add the URL of the website you want to open. As such, the command would be something like:
"C:\Users\joaoc\AppData\Local\BraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\Application\brave.exe" https://www.xda-developers.com
Entering this in step 10 would make it so that you open the XDA homepage in Brave. Of course, you can apply this to any browser, you just have to use the correct path.
Creating shortcuts to specific Windows features
The steps above will work for most apps the user installs, but some built-in Windows features don't have a single executable file you can point to. Instead, these features and tools are identified by a CLSID, which you can point to in the Command key instead of using a regular path. Here's a list of CLSIDs you might want to use, originally compiled by user Brink over on ElevenForum.
|
Feature |
CLSID key shortcuts |
|---|---|
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Add Network Location |
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Applications folder |
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AutoPlay |
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About (system) |
|
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Backup and Restore (Windows 7) |
|
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BitLocker Drive Encryption |
|
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Bluetooth Devices |
|
|
Color and Appearance |
|
|
Color Management |
|
|
Command Folder |
|
|
Common Places FS Folder |
|
|
Control Panel |
|
|
Control Panel All Tasks |
|
|
Control Panel (category view) |
|
|
Appearance and Personalization |
|
|
Clock and Region |
|
|
Ease of Access |
|
|
Hardware and Sound |
|
|
Network and Internet |
|
|
Programs |
|
|
System and Security |
|
|
User Accounts |
|
|
Control Panel (icons view) |
|
|
Credential Manager |
|
|
Date and Time |
|
|
Default apps |
|
|
Default Programs |
|
|
delegate folder that appears in Computer |
|
|
Desktop Background |
|
|
Desktop folder |
|
|
Device Manager |
|
|
Devices and Printers |
|
|
Documents folder |
|
|
Downloads folder |
|
|
Ease of Access Center |
|
|
Use the computer without a display |
|
|
Make the computer easier to see |
|
|
Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard |
|
|
Make the mouse easier to use |
|
|
Set up Mouse Keys |
|
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Make the keyboard easier to use |
|
|
Use text or visual alternatives for sounds |
|
|
Make it easier to focus on tasks |
|
|
Set up Filter Keys |
|
|
Set up Sticky Keys |
|
|
Get recommendations to make your computer easier to use (cognitive) |
|
|
Get recommendations to make your computer easier to use (eyesight) |
|
|
Set up Repeat and Slow Keys |
|
|
Email (default app) |
|
|
Favorites folder |
|
|
File Explorer Options |
|
|
File History |
|
|
Folder Options |
|
|
Font settings |
|
|
Frequent folders |
|
|
Gallery |
|
|
Get Programs |
|
|
Home |
|
|
Hyper-V Remote File Browser |
|
|
Indexing Options |
|
|
Installed Updates |
|
|
Internet Properties |
|
|
Keyboard Properties |
|
|
Libraries |
|
|
Linux |
|
|
Location Information (Phone and Modem Control Panel) |
|
|
Media Servers |
|
|
Mouse Properties |
|
|
Music folder |
|
|
My Documents |
|
|
netplwiz (User Accounts) |
|
|
Network |
|
|
Network and Sharing Center |
|
|
Advanced sharing settings |
|
|
Media streaming options |
|
|
Network Connections |
|
|
Notification Area Icons |
|
|
Offline Files Folder |
|
|
OneDrive |
|
|
Pen and Touch |
|
|
Personalization |
|
|
Pictures folder |
|
|
Phone and Modem Control Panel (Location Information) |
|
|
Portable Devices |
|
|
Power Options |
|
|
Create a power plan |
|
|
Edit Plan Settings |
|
|
System Settings |
|
|
Printers |
|
|
Problem Reporting Settings |
|
|
Programs and Features |
|
|
Public folder |
|
|
Quick access |
|
|
Recent folders |
|
|
Recent Items Instance Folder |
|
|
Recovery |
|
|
Recycle Bin |
|
|
Region |
|
|
Reliability Monitor |
|
|
Remote Assistance |
|
|
Remote File Browser for Hyper-V |
|
|
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections |
|
|
Connection Properties |
|
|
Removable Drives |
|
|
Removable Storage Devices |
|
|
Results Folder |
|
|
Run |
|
|
Search |
|
|
Search Results |
|
|
Security and Maintenance |
|
|
Advanced Problem Reporting Settings |
|
|
Change Security and Maintenance settings |
|
|
Problem Details |
|
|
Problem Reporting Settings |
|
|
Problem Reports |
|
|
Reliability Monitor |
|
|
Show Desktop |
|
|
Sound |
|
|
Speech Properties |
|
|
Speech Recognition |
|
|
Storage Spaces |
|
|
System (about) |
|
|
Sync Center |
|
|
Sync Setup |
|
|
Sync Setup Folder |
|
|
System (about) |
|
|
Tablet PC Settings |
|
|
Taskbar settings |
|
|
Task View |
|
|
This Device |
|
|
This PC |
|
|
Troubleshooting |
|
|
Additional Information |
|
|
All Categories |
|
|
Change Settings |
|
|
History |
|
|
Search Troubleshooting |
|
|
Troubleshoot problems - Hardware and Sound |
|
|
Troubleshoot problems - Network and Internet |
|
|
Troubleshoot problems - Programs |
|
|
Troubleshoot problems - System and Security |
|
|
User Accounts (Control Panel) |
|
|
Change Your Name |
|
|
Manage Accounts |
|
|
User Accounts (netplwiz) |
|
|
User Pinned |
|
|
%UserProfile% |
|
|
Videos folder |
|
|
Windows Defender Firewall |
|
|
Allowed apps |
|
|
Customize Settings |
|
|
Restore defaults |
|
|
Windows Features |
|
|
Windows Mobility Center |
|
|
Windows Search |
|
|
Windows Tools |
|
|
Work Folders |
|
Simply copy and paste any of the commands on the right side of the table and enter them in the value data field of your Command key.
Using a third-party app
If editing the registry directly seems a little cumbersome to you, you can always use third-party apps that help you add more options to the context menu. These apps generally don't do anything you can't do with Rehistry Editor, but they may be a bit more intuitive in some cases.
One good option is Custom Context Menu, which is available on GitHub and the Microsoft Store. This one is cool because it can actually add options to the modern Windows 11 context menu, so you don't have to stick with the old one. Here, you can simply create new entries, choose a title, path, arguments, and an icon in a more straightforward interface.
Alternatively, you can use Open++, which does work with the classic context menu instead.
Make the context menu more useful
Whichever route you take, you can add as many options as you need to the context menu on Windows, whether you have Windows 12 or older versions. Depending on the app you're creating a shortcut to, you can also use additional arguments to take more specific actions, but that's heavily dependent on the app and your knowledge of the arguments it supports. Either way, these steps will make it easier to create shortcuts to the actions you need if they weren;t automatically added to the context menu.
The ultimate guide to File Explorer on Windows 11
File Explorer is one of the most essential tools in Windows 11, but you may not know everything about it. Let's take a closer look.