I tried Windows 11’s customizable right-click menu – and it’s a much-needed change

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The new customizable right-click menu is now available for testing.
• You can add and remove entries in the menu to reduce the clutter.
• The new menu could officially debut before the end of the year.

The right-click menu in Windows seems like a great idea. Quickly access different commands, settings, and apps by right-clicking a folder, file, or other item in File Explorer or on your desktop. But as you install more applications, the menu gets more disorganized and difficult to navigate.

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With Windows 11, Microsoft revamped the menu with a smaller and simpler layout. But this approach doesn’t work well either, as it often excludes commands and apps you frequently use. With another mouse click, you’re able to view the older-style menu, but that brings us back to the original problem.

How to try Windows 11’s new customizable right-click menu

With the latest Windows 11 Insider Beta preview, you can try out the new customizable menu for yourself. You’re able to add or remove specific commands. You can move certain items to different spots. And you can include entries for certain actions, such as editing a text file with Notepad or opening an image in the Photos app. The goal is to reduce the clutter and confusion of the current menu.

To try this yourself, you’ll need to join Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program if you haven’t already done so. Choose the Beta channel and then just download the latest updates. Since these Insider builds can be unstable, don’t set this up on your primary PC. Instead, use a spare computer, a dual-boot setup, or a virtual machine. I run the Insider builds in a VM through VMware Workstation Pro.

With the latest update installed, open File Explorer and right-click on a folder or file. You’ll now see a new entry to customize the menu. Select that to tweak the context menu. Otherwise, go to Settings, select Personalization, and then click Context menu.

Also: Microsoft reveals customizable context menu for Windows users – how to try it out

First on the list, you can turn certain file actions on or off, such as Send to, Print, Create shortcut, Copy as path, and Rotate image. As always, the actions that appear are context-sensitive. So, the command for Rotate image appears only if you right-click an image file.

Next, you can choose which apps pop up all the time, either in the main menu or in a submenu. These include Copilot, Clipchamp, Notepad, OneDrive, Paint, and Photos. But the list will also incorporate any third-party apps you install, so you can easily decide whether or not they should appear.

Finally, under additional options, you can choose to display the standard file commands (Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete) either at the top of the menu or within the menu. You can elect to put cloud-storage actions in their own section, show the Customize menu command in the menu itself, and move the Properties command to the bottom of the menu. You’re also able to display a command to show more options, which displays the old-style menu.

Also: How to join Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program (and why you should)

“We’re rolling out an updated context menu experience in File Explorer, designed to feel faster, cleaner, and easier to tailor to the way you work,” Microsoft said in an article about the latest preview build. “The new design reduces top-level clutter, keeps commonly used actions easy to access, and adds a new Settings experience that gives you more control over what appears in the menu. As we continue refining this experience with Insider feedback, our goal is to make right-click feel more responsive, predictable, and personal.”

A much-needed change

I’ve been trying the new menu, and it certainly offers a much-needed change to the otherwise cluttered and complicated right-click menu. However, I’d like to see Microsoft eventually get rid of the kludgy old-style menu completely. Otherwise, you’re still stuck with the dual-personality approach that gets in the way of using the current menu more smoothly.

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Since the new customizable menu is currently in the Beta channel, it’s one step closer to its official debut. That time frame will depend in part on the feedback from Windows Insiders. To share your own thoughts about the feature, open the Feedback Hub in Windows and select the My Feedback option. If the overall feedback is positive, we could certainly see the new menu reach all Windows 11 users before the end of the year.