How To Add & Remove Entries from The Windows Right-Click Menu

The Right-Click menu is one of the most messed with pieces of Windows. If you have installed a large amount of applications, your right-click menu can become quite large and eventually just take way too long to load.

Of course, it is possible to remove and add options to the right-click menu. Both of which can be quite productive and fun. (There was a previous article Customize Your “˜Send To’ Right-Click Windows Menu written by Jimmy on how to add more options to the “Send To” field. Some other article related to Windows right lick menu can be found here.)

Ready? Let’s do it!

Adding Entries for Certain File Types in Right-Click Menu

Sometimes you may have a certain file type, e.g. .doc (Word document) that you would like to do something special with, e.g. open .doc as an email attachment. Today we will be looking at how to do just that. In other words, show you how to add additional options to right click menu when used on certain files. So let’s get started!

Step 1: Go to “My Computer.” Click “Tools” and then click “Folder Options.”

Step 2: Click on the tab labeled “File Types.”

Step 3: Find a file type and select it. Then click “Advanced.”

Step 4: Click “New.” In the Action field type the name that you would like to appear.

Step 5: In the Application used to perform action textbox enter the path of the application you would like the file to load in (with quotes). E.g. “C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe”.

Step 6: Click “OK” and you have your own customized right-click menu!

Removing Entries from Right-Click Menu

Sometimes, instead of adding entries, maybe your right-click menu has become too big. Eventually right-click menu’s (like mine) can take forever to load. If you would like to, you can definitely remove some of those useless options. Ready for a faster right-click menu? Let’s do it!

Step 1: Go to “Start,” “Run,” and type regedit.

Step 2: Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellexe\ContextMenuHandlers

Step 3: Find the folder that indicates the entry in the start menu and right-click. Select “Remove.”

Remove Entries for Certain File Types

Maybe your right-click menu has become way too long, and takes forever to load (like mine). If you would like to only remove entries for certain file types, simply go to the Folder Options menu like we did before and you may do the following:

Step 1: Go to “My Computer.” Click “Tools” and then click “Folder Options.”

Step 2: Click on the tab labeled “File Types.”

Step 3: Find a file type and select it.

Step 4: Find one of the entries and select “Remove.”

Now go out there and tweak!

More tweaks next time in WinHacks!