How to bring back the old context menu in Windows 11 – 5 ways

In this guide, you will learn how to return the right-click context menu in Windows 11 to the classic view for File Explorer and the Desktop. The Windows 11 context menu has been significantly redesigned compared to previous versions of the operating system.

As a result of the changes, the called menu has become limited in the number of entries, compared to the Windows 10 context menu. By default, several main menu items open on the screen with the most frequently performed operations: cut, copy, paste, and so on.

To access other functions, the user will need to click on the “Show advanced options” item, or after clicking on the object with the right mouse button, you need to press the “Shift” + “F10” keys. After that, the full classic context menu will open with all the options.

We understand that Microsoft made these changes due to the fact that the old context menu when performing certain actions or opening files has grown to incredible sizes. Many programs add themselves to the Windows context menu to make it easier for the user to access a given application.

Some programs, especially archivers, occupy several items of the context menu at once, which significantly increases the entire list. Largely because of this, changes were made to the context menu interface in the operating system.

The new Windows 11 context menu works like this: Right-clicking opens a compact menu with basic options, depending on what you’re doing, and then clicking Show advanced options (or the mouse keys) opens a classic menu with all other parameters.

The most significant disadvantage of such a solution is that users make unnecessary movements to perform the current operation, which leads to unnecessary time. Therefore, many users want to return the old context menu in Windows 11.

To install a standard context menu in Windows 11, you must perform operations to change the system registry settings. You can solve the problem in several ways, using:

• command line;
• finished REG file;
• registry editor;
• third party applications.

In this article, you will find instructions on how to make a classic Windows 11 context menu using the operating system’s built-in tools or third-party software.

In addition to solving the context menu problem, many users need to bring back the classic ribbon bar and tabs in File Explorer. Read about it in another article on the site.

How to enable the old context menu in Windows 11 from the command line

Now we will try the first method: running a command in the Windows command line that makes the necessary changes to the system registry.

Do the following:

1. Type “CMD” into the search field, then select “Run as administrator”.
2. In the command line interpreter window, enter the command:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f

3. Press the “Enter” key.
4. Restart File Explorer or restart your computer.

How to install the old Windows 11 context menu

Alternatively, you can use a pre-made REG file that, once run, makes the necessary changes to the Windows 11 registry.

You will need to do the following:

1. You need to download the ZIP archive to your computer using the link from the cloud.
2. Unpack the archive “Old_Context_Menu.zip” using the system tool or using a third-party archiver.
3. Double click on the “Enable_Old_Context_Menu.reg” file.
4. In the warning window, confirm the merge of the .reg file with the registry.
5. Restart your PC or restart File Explorer.

How to change the context menu in Windows 11

The user has the ability to make changes to the registry manually to set the necessary parameters. For this, a system tool will be used – the Windows Registry Editor.

Go through a few steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor in Windows.
2. Follow the path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID

3. Right click on the “CLSID” key.
4. In the menu that opens, first click on “Create”, and then on “Section”.
5. Name the section with this name:

{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}

If such a section exists, then it does not need to be created.

6. Right-click on the section {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}, and then select “Create” => “Section”.
7. Name the section: “InprocServer32”.
8. Double-click the “(Default)” option with the left mouse button.
9. Do not change anything in the Edit String Parameter window, just close the window.
10. Reboot your system or restart File Explorer.

How to disable the new Windows 11 context menu in Win 11 Classic Context Menu

Windows 11 Classic Context Menu is a free program designed to enable the classic menu in the operating system. This application in one click disables the new menu or, conversely, enables the old one.

The program does not require installation on a computer, because it is a portable application with a simple interface.

Do the following:

1. Download the Windows 11 Classic Context Menu program from the developer’s official website at the link: https://www.sordum.org/downloads/?win11-classic-context-menu .
2. After unpacking the archive, run the W11ClassicMenu.exe file.
3. In the “Win11 Classic Context Menu” window, click on the “Enable Win11 Classic Menu Style” button.
4. To apply the changes, you must click on the “Restart Explorer” button.

How to restore the classic context menu in Windows 11 with Winaero Tweaker

Winaero Tweaker is a free application for tweaking and optimizing the Windows operating system. With this program, you can return the old default context menu to Windows 11.

Go through the steps:

1. Follow the link to download Winaero Tweaker from the official website: https://winaero.com/winaero-tweaker/ .
2. Unpack the ZIP archive and then install the program on your PC. During installation, you can choose the portable version of the application.
3. In the “Winaero Tweaker” window, go to the “Windows 11” section.
4. Click on the “Classic Full Context Menus” option.
5. Check the box next to “Enable classic full context menus”.
6. Click on the “Restart Explorer” button.

How to enable the new context menu in Windows 11

If some users wish to return the context menu settings to default in Windows 11, they will be able to perform a similar operation using one of the suggested methods, which can be read below.

Executing a command from the command line:

1. Run command prompt as administrator.
2. Run this code in a command prompt window:

reg delete “HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}” /f

3. Restart File Explorer or restart your PC.

Using the prepared REG file:

1. Double click on the file “Disable_Old_Context_Menu.reg”, which is located in the downloaded archive.
2. Next, you need to give your consent to making changes to the registry of the operating system.
3. Restart File Explorer or restart your computer.

Applying changes in the Registry Editor:

1. In the “Registry Editor” window, follow the path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID

2. Remove the parameter named:

{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}

3. Restart Windows or restart File Explorer.

Enabling the new context menu in the Windows 11 Classic Context Menu program:

1. Launch the Windows 11 Classic Context Menu app.
2. In the program window, first click on the “Enable Win11 Default Menu Style” button, and then on the “Restart Explorer” button.

Enabling the default context menu in Winaero Tweaker:

1. In the “Winaero Tweaker” window, find the “Windows 11” section.
2. Click on the “Classic Full Context Menus” option.
3. Uncheck “Enable classic full context menus”.
4. Click the “Restart Explorer” button to restart Explorer.

Article Conclusions

After changing the interface in the Windows 11 operating system, the context menu of the Desktop and Explorer has been redesigned. The menu has been unloaded from many items, but in order to access the desired parameter, the user will have to make extra mouse clicks. You can bring back the old classic context menu in Windows 11 by making registry changes using system tools and third-party software.