Good day to all. Just recently I had to reinstall the system on my computer. Let me remind you that I use Windows 7 Ultimate. Everything went almost painlessly with the exception of one small nuance. This time I decided not to install any applications, but to leave it only for the system. All necessary programs installed on drive D. But the way I constantly use text editor Notepad++, I would like the item to appear in the Explorer context menu: Open with Notepad++. The fact is that this item appears automatically if you install the editor on the “C” drive. But if you install it on another disk, then such a feature will no longer exist and you will need to do it yourself and manually. If someone finds it difficult to master many letters, then go straight to
The Windows Explorer context menu is when you right-click somewhere, and then this menu appears.
And then I set out to create this point at any cost, because I was very used to it and could no longer imagine my future life without it. 🙂 I felt in my gut that this idea could somehow be realized, but I didn’t know how to do it. As usual, Runet couldn’t help me. the solution was found somewhere far beyond the seas and oceans and in some broken English. The author used too many words from some local slang that I barely understood what he was talking about. Therefore, I will tell you what I understood. 🙂
We will edit. This activity is more for experienced users. Although, if you do everything according to the instructions, even a beginner can handle it. First, we need to open this very registry. To do this, go to Start - Run, write the command regedit in the field and press Enter. You can also call up a window to execute this command using the keyboard shortcut Win + R. If you don't have a Run option in your start menu, right-click Start and select Properties. In the window that opens, in the Start Menu tab, click on the Settings button Find the Run item and put a checkmark on it and apply the saved settings. 
So, we opened the Registry Editor. We need to follow this path:
| HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/*/Shell |
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/*/Shell
Right-click on the shell and select “Create partition”. 
Give it a name, for example Notepad, and in the right window double-click on the string parameter and write the value: Open in Notepad++. This is the inscription that will be displayed in the context menu. Then right-click on the Notepad section and create a subsection with the name: “command”. Without quotes. And in the right window, in the string parameter, enter the path to the program and add at the end: ″%1″ And to find out the path of the program, you need to select the application, press Shift and right button mice. The item “Copy as path” will appear. I got it like this:
| "D:\Programs\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "%1" |
"D:\Programs\Notepad++\notepad++.exe" "%1"
Everything is fine, the item we needed appeared in the context menu, but it doesn’t look very nice. 
Therefore, we need to find out a way to add to the item we created, so as not to get confused and everything is immediately visible and understandable. And there is a solution to this. First you need to find this icon. Its size should be small, 16x16 pixels. I got this icon from the Notepad++ program itself. This is done using the program. To add an icon, click in the registry editor on the Notepad section and in the right window, using the right button, create a string parameter. Let's call it Icon. And paste the copied path of the icon there. If you did everything correctly it should look something like this:
As you already understood, this way you can add to context menu almost any program that you use frequently. It’s not entirely convenient to do this, of course, but it’s useful for practice. You will know the computer structure and its file system. Write about your experiments in the comments. I hope everything works out for you.
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 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, and for the majority installed applications, because this the most convenient way access to 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 contextual Windows menu 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:
- Enter the menu Start.
- Enter the command in the search bar regedit and press Enter.
Important! Any careless and thoughtless operations can have dangerous consequences, including complete failure Windows boot. To protect yourself from mistakes, be sure to do backup copy registry before you start editing it!
Procedure for creation backup file registry:
- Go to the menu " File" in an open editor.
- Select the item “ Export».
- In the window that opens, in the lower field " Export range", select " Entire registry».
- 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.
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 from installed programs. 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 Operating System, and with the help of 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 in a standard way 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 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 point is that adding such an item for folders or certain files, and also 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.
In this article I would like to consider the question how to add a new item to the Windows context menu? Think this opportunity It will help make working on the computer a little easier, because launching a frequently used program or system tool through the context menu will be much faster than scouring the entire computer for it. I will demonstrate adding a new context menu item using the example of the Windows control panel.
For those who don't know, Context menu- is a graphic element windows interface, which is a list of commands called by the user to select the required action on the selected object. Context menu commands relate to the object on which the menu was called. This article discusses the issue of adding an item to the context menu called up on the desktop. The method described in the article is suitable for all versions of Windows.
Adding a menu item occurs by making changes to windows registry. To open the registry, call up the “Run” dialog box by pressing the +r key combination, where we enter the regedit command and click OK.
Let's move along the path HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell. Where we right-click on the section shell and press the item create -> section.
We create new section with the name of the context menu item you want to add. In my case it's control Panel.
Then right-click on the created section and create a new section again.
We call it small English letters " command".
Go to the command section and open the parameter " Default". Where in the field meaning enter the path to the program or application that we want to add to the context menu.
In my case, the path to the control panel file is in system folder system32.
Good day, dear friends, readers and other individuals. Today, as you understand from the title, we will talk about the menu right mouse button, that is, the context menu, or more precisely, let’s clean it, edit and add to it.
The fact is that over time the existence of your computer and, more precisely, as you install and remove various kinds of programs, the already mentioned menu turns into a uniform mess.
This happens especially often when you don’t follow all the checkboxes when installing software (although you are not always even given these checkboxes to choose from) and are generally irresponsible about your own system (and this happens, yes).
Anyway, let's get to the point.
Introductory. How it happens
Well, I think it’s probably not necessary to show the bare minimum of what the context menu can turn into. Or show it? It usually looks something like this:
Nice, right? This is exactly what we will be struggling with, because most likely you do not use half of what is shown in the screenshot above and do not plan to use it, but finding the desired item in the right-click menu becomes difficult and time-consuming.
Download the Easy Context Menu program
None other than the Easy Context Menu program will help us edit this whole mess, as, in fact, I hope you understood from the subtitle (and the title of this) article. The program is completely free, supports Russian language, etc.
Then the only thing left to do is to edit all the horror that you have in this very right-click menu. The program allows you to remove or add elements, so you can either clean it up or make it even more cluttered.
How to use the program and enable Russian language
Having launched the program, we will see its main window, which looks something like this:
If the Russian language has not decided to appear on its own, then simply open " Options -> Languages -> Russian" and the program will happily work in Russian.
The program management itself is extremely simple. Do you see the mouse icons from left to right? These are what we need:
They are responsible for (again, from left to right):
- Applying changes if you edited anything by checking the boxes below;
- Cancel changes if you have edited anything by checking the boxes below;
- Editor of the list of available commands for the right-click menu;
- Cleaning the context menu;
- Information about the program.
In this article, we are interested in the cleaning item. You can figure out the rest yourself, since there’s nothing complicated about it.
Clearing the right-click menu
Actually, we click on the mouse with a whisk, after which we get a very clear table with your current context menu list, as well as names, registry sections (yes, you can do this not with a program, but through the registry), and the place where this right-click menu item is other information comes out.
Actually, here you can deactivate or activate the necessary items, delete them completely, go to the desired registry section, and so on. Simply put, by managing the checkboxes here, you can remove everything that you don’t use, and in the main program window just add the ones you need (which you may have long dreamed of or, on the contrary, actually didn’t even suspect).
As a result, you can get this (or even much smaller) nice context menu:
Which is already much less than it was in the terrible screenshot above, although it is not yet ideal, because the points that are personally needed by the author of the article are left here.
Well, how and what to add (and there is clearly something to add, fortunately there are plenty of interesting points), I think you’ll figure it out, fortunately this is done from the main window of the program and is no more difficult than deleting something - just check the boxes and apply the changes.
Afterword
That's how things are. Now you can always keep your right-click menu (context menu) under control with the help of such a simple and wonderful program.
As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, additions, etc., then welcome to comment on this article.
Thank you for being with us.
Loading...
