How to add a command to the context menu. Editing the context menu. Why a "clogged" context menu is bad
In the article I would like to consider the issue how to add a new item to the Windows context menu ? I think this feature will help to slightly simplify the work at the computer, because launching a frequently used program, or a system tool through the context menu, will be much faster than scouring it all over the computer. I'll demonstrate how to add a new context menu item using the windows control panel as an example.
For those who do not know, Context menu is a windows graphical interface element that is a list of commands invoked by the user to select the required action on the selected object. Context menu commands refer to the object over which this menu was called. This article discusses the issue of adding an item to the context menu called on the desktop. The method described in the article is suitable for all versions of windows.
The menu item is added by making changes to the windows registry. To open the registry, we call the "Run" dialog box with the key combination + r, where we enter the regedit command and click OK.
We go along the way HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \\ Directory \\ Background \\ shell. Where we right-click on the section shelland click item create -\u003e section.
Create a new section with the name of the context menu item that you want to add. In my case it is control Panel.
Then right-click on the created section and re-create a new section.
We call it in small English letters " command ".
Go to the command section and open the " Default". Where in the field value 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 the system32 folder.
We are already familiar with the concept of a context menu. It's time to deepen our knowledge about it and consider the topic - How to remove or add commands to the Windows context menu.
Windows functionality allows the user to edit the context menu to their liking.
Editing the context menu (a set of "explorer" or "actions" menu commands) is possible in one of two ways:
- Through program parameters;
- Through the Windows registry;
- With the help of additionally installed applications.
Let's see how this is done:
Installed programs often themselves have (by default) the function of integration into a set of context menu (CM) commands. Then such a parameter is present in their settings on the main tabs, or maybe on such as "Integration", "Download" or "Add", etc. For example, for the WinRAR archiver, it is enough to uncheck the settings:
It is clear that in this way you can both add (install) and remove (remove) a command (commands) from the list. They do the same with other applications.
We work with the registry
Be very careful when working with the Windows Registry. To be in the registry, you need to set a search in the "Start" menu by typing "regedit", and run the found executable file "regedit.exe":
Making a copy
Before editing the Registry of any version of Windows (including Windows 7), do not forget to create a backup copy for safety reasons. To do this, in the editor, select the Export command on the File tab. Select "Entire Register" at the bottom of the opened dialog. Assigning a name and specifying the location - "Save":
If something irreparable happens (especially for an inexperienced person), you can return the registry to its previous state by using the "File" / "Restore" command, specifying the previously created backup file.
Clearing a directory set
The registry itself looks like a tree-like block diagram (on the left), each of the branches of which has its own parameters (on the right). The "shell", "Shellex ContextMenuHandlers" and "Folder \\ shell" branches of the "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \\ Directory" directory are responsible for the folder context menu. Having examined these branches in more detail, you can make sure that the "shell" folder contains the upper part of the context set, and the "Shellex ContextMenuHandlers" - the lower one. The folder "Folder \\ shell" - repeats the previous one.
Removal of program elements from the set is performed in each of the branches. On the right mouse, the deletion element is highlighted, the "Delete" command is called:
Now for files
The same procedure is used here, but in different branches. Since the “* / shellexContextMenuHandlers” and “* / shell” branches in the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” registry key are responsible for the set of Context Menu commands for files:
The removal procedure is exactly the same. Do not forget to just delete the unnecessary in both branches.
We use third-party applications
It is much easier (and safer for a beginner) to remove or add an item to the context menu of any version of Windows (including Windows 7) using additional utilities.
After installation and launch, in the program window (by the "Type" column) you can see all programs from the Windows context menu (type \u003d Context Menu).
Unnecessary is removed by highlighting and pressing the red circle:
An interesting and useful utility with a self-explanatory name (available in a free version) Ccleaner. It has many beneficial properties. Website - http://ccleaner.org.ua/. In our case, it clears the registry of unused entries, paths to programs, shortcuts, etc.:
To clear the Context Menu, go to the "Service", in the "Startup" tabs, find the "Context Menu". A list of applications added to the set and their status (included: yes / no) will be displayed here:
To delete - being on the line, the right mouse button calls the "Delete" command. Since a second return (inclusion in the list) is possible only when reinstalling or reconfiguring the application, it is recommended to select the "Disable" option. - Then it will be possible to return it lego ("Enable").
Add with FileMenu Tools
It is very easy to add a new item to the context menu using the "FileMenu Tools" program.
It offers the user three tabs:
- Left - management of the proposed elements;
- Medium - to configure the "Send" function;
- Right - disables commands added by third-party programs from the list:
You need to add a new element using the “Add Command” command. To specify its parameters, the lower right part of the window is intended - "Properties". For example, to add the line "Open in Firefox" to the menu list (opening HTM and HTML files):
In the "Menu Text" you need to enter the name, and in the "Extensions" - the options for the extensions:
In "Program Properties" the route to the executable file of the Firefox.exe application is written:
The added item is saved by clicking the green element at the top of the window (on the left):
This article helped you understand the various ways to edit the context menu. Now you know how to add and remove elements from it not only using Windows tools, but also using other programs.
Leave your comments.
The context menu (right-click menu) is a handy tool to speed up your work in Windows. Today we will reveal a few simple secrets of working with the context menu and the system registry. Read how to customize this important element to suit your needs without extraneous applications, using only the built-in registry editor regedit.
Why is the context menu (right-click menu) convenient and why should you clear it
I would like to immediately determine the terminology so that there will be no confusion in the future.
The Explorer context menu, or as it is sometimes called, the action menu, is a set of commands that can be invoked by clicking right (contextual) mouse buttons on any file or folder. Depending on the object for which it is called, the menu will have a different look or "context".
Note. Of course, not only Windows Explorer has an action menu, but most of the installed applications as well, because this is the most convenient way to access the most important commands.
Immediately after installing the operating system, the context menu has a standard and tidy look, but as additional software is installed, new items are constantly added to it. In the end, there are so many of them that the use of this useful tool turns into flour. Therefore, it is critically important to be able to maintain order of the contents of the Windows context menu for quick and comfortable work.
This can be done in two ways:
- Semi-automatic using third-party software.
- Manually, using the Windows Registry Editor.
Perhaps the first way can be a little easier, but the second way there is no need to use various questionable programs downloaded from the Internet, everything is done by 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 tell you exactly about the second option.
How to edit Explorer context menu via registry
Launch the registry editor:
- Enter the menu P usk.
- We enter the command in the search bar regedit and press Enter.
Important! Any careless and rash operations can have dangerous consequences, up to a complete failure to boot Windows. To insure yourself against errors, be sure to back up the registry before you start editing it!
Procedure for creating a backup registry file:
- We go to the menu " File"In the open editor.
- We select the item " Export».
- In the window that opens, in the lower field “ Export range", Choose" Whole register».
- We indicate the desired location and name of the new file and click " Save».
Note.In case of problems after manual editing, the registry can be restored to its original state from a backup copy 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 on the right. To work with the context menu, we are interested in a single 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 the context menu of folders and common menu items for all file types.
Important! We will not change the standard system items of the context menu through the registry. Only items added by installed applications are edited.
Clearing the context menu of folders
All settings of the context menu of directories are stored in the 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, the registry branch “ 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 branch, so remove the same items if necessary from both branches.
It remains only to remove 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 content of the menu will differ significantly. Right-click on the unnecessary registry entry and select " Delete". Then repeat this operation for the rest of the selected items.
This is the neat appearance of the registry branches in question and the menu itself after the completion of the cleaning procedure.
Clearing the context menu of files
The procedure itself is no different from the one that was carried out in the previous section. Only the branches of the registry branch have changed " HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT", Storing the required 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 nice and convenient context menu.
In this tutorial, we will take a closer look at the functions of a very useful key that is available on any keyboard. This key is called the "Context Menu key". It is located in the lower right part of the keyboard between the ALT and CTRL keys.
Pressing this key brings up the CONTEXT MENU, exactly the same as if you pressed the RIGHT mouse button.
The trick of this button is that the menu called when you click will display functions (menu items) that can be applied in the current program, in the active window, on the desktop, etc. Those. this menu adjusts to the process in which you are directly working, and it is very convenient.
Now let's take a closer look at the basic options for displaying the context menu in different environments and the functions that can be performed using this menu.
1. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on the Windows Desktop
For Windows 7
When you press the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on the Windows 7 desktop, a menu appears as follows:
1. At the very top of the menu - setting parameters Your video card.
2. View - customize the display of icons on the desktop
3. Sorting- customize sorting by displaying icons on the desktop
4. Refresh - updating the display of content on the Desktop.
5. Paste - if you copied something, you can paste it to the Desktop.
6. Create. Here you can create on the Desktop: folder, shortcut, text document, archive, MS Office documents - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. (if installed)
7. Screen resolution. Here you can set the required screen settings: select a screen (there may be several of them), find out or set the screen resolution, determine the screen orientation, and also configure other parameters for working with the screen, for example, connect a projector.
8... Gadgets - selection and installation of Windows 7 gadgets. In Windows XP there is no such function.
9. Personalization. Here you can customize the appearance of the Desktop, change the background, splash screen, sounds, theme, window color, etc.
For Windows XP
In Windows XP, as many of course know, the context menu looks simpler, but the functions are almost the same.
When you press the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on the Windows XP desktop, the following menu appears:
1. Using the first menu item Arrange icons we can do the following operations:
Screen resolution configurable in the tab Parameters
2. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on a file or folder in Explorer or any other file manager.
When you press the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context menu" key on a file in Explorer or any other file manager, the menu also adjusts to a file of a certain type. For example, I clicked by video file... The following menu has opened:
In this case, the menu offers functions that correspond specifically to the video file: play, add to the list of the player that is selected by default for this file type. And a number of standard functions: open with, add to archive (if an archiver is installed), send, cut, copy, delete, rename and file properties.
If you click the RIGHT mouse button or on the "Context Menu" on a graphic file, then a menu will open, which will correspond to the graphic file type:
Here you can immediately open, edit or print the selected file in the default image program. In my case, this is the ACDSee program.
You can immediately make the selected file a background image for the Desktop, very convenient when you choose from a large list. And then there are again standard functions for working with files.
There are no special differences in Windows XP,
standard functions for working with a file are called by the command Edit
I will dwell in more detail on the items "Open with" and "Send".
Why the Open With feature is useful
Here you can select or assign any installed program that understands the selected file format to work with the selected file. In this case, I clicked on a video file and several programs can work with this format on my computer: Light Allow, WinAmp and of course Windows Media Player.
If the required program is not in the list, but you know for sure that it is installed, select the menu item "Select a program"... Windows will prompt you to select programs from a list of recommended or other programs.
In Windows XP, this window looks slightly different, but the meaning is the same:
If you want the selected file format to always be opened by the program you select, then check the box "Use the selected program for all files of this type".
If the desired program is not in the list of recommended programs, or in others, but you know for sure that the program is installed, then press the button "Overview…" and select it from the folder where the program is installed.
Why the Send function is useful
With this function, you can send (transfer, transfer) the selected file via BlueTooth (bluetooth), Skype, mail, to the Desktop, to the archive, to write to a CD / DVD disc, to a USB flash drive, so to speak. etc.
3. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key in any Internet browser.
And here, too, the menu adjusts to different situations, depending on where you click on the web page. For example, if you click link, then a menu like this will open:
Using this menu, you can open the content of the link in a new tab or in a new window, add the link to bookmarks, send the link, copy the link, if the link is a file, then you can save it using "Save Object As ...". If you have installed programs for downloading, you can download the contents of the link with their help.
If you click the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" from the picture on the web page, then a menu with other functions will open:
Here you can copy the image to the clipboard and paste, for example, into a Word document, you can save the image to your computer using "Save Image As ...", send the image by mail, make the selected image a desktop background, find out information about the image (type, size, file name), etc.
Let me summarize. In this lesson, we examined the most popular options for using the context menu, which is invoked by clicking the RIGHT mouse button or pressing the "Context Menu" key on the keyboard.
Namely:
1. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on the Windows Desktop
2. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key on a file or folder in Explorer or any other file manager.
3. Pressing the RIGHT mouse button or the "Context Menu" key in any Internet browser.
The essence of this lesson is to learn how to use the useful functions of a specific active environment of your computer. In any environment, by clicking with the RIGHT mouse button or by clicking on the "Context Menu" button, you will receive a list of useful functions available at a given time, relative to the selected object.
Explorer context menu is the menu that appears when you right-click (Right Mouse Button) on an object (file or folder) or just on an empty space in a folder or Desktop. If you have a system recently, then the context menu will be relatively empty. Unless just added from the drivers for the video card, for example:
but if the system has been installed for a long time, then there will be more such items. For example like this:
As you can see, over time, in addition to the standard menu items, more from the installed programs were added. On the one hand, it is convenient. After all, you do not need to launch a shortcut or search for a program, but you can directly perform actions directly from the context menu. But on the other hand, over time, there are a lot of such items and the context menu sometimes even has to scroll up or down in search of the necessary items.
Therefore, sometimes you want to remove these items so as not to interfere. After all, you do not often use all the points.
So how remove an item from the context menu.
In order to remove a program item from the context menu (KM for short), you can use both standard methods of the Operating System itself, and using the programs themselves or specially designed ones.
The easiest thing to remove is to look for the desired item in the settings of the program (which you want to remove). It is usually located somewhere in Integration or Upload / Add. For example, in order to remove the famous WinRAR item from the CM, you need to uncheck the box from Shell integrations:
Other programs may also have similar settings.
Another thing is when you did not find the necessary settings for deletion, or there are none at all (sometimes it happens). Then you can use the standard way of the systems themselves, 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, we start the registry and go to the branch
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / * / shellexe / ContextMenuHandlers
and here we see these same items from the context menu.
Now we right-click on the desired item (the item from the CM that you want to delete) and select Delete:
We agree with the following warning:
reboot and check. The item should be gone.
If not missing, then 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 the CM -\u003e Create
then you need to know the type of file () that is being created. For example, for Microsoft Office Access, the file extension is .accdb, which means that you need to look for it in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry key, and then delete the ShellNew subkey there
If you want to remove from the CM those items that appear when 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 ..." there is a branch
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \\ * \\ OpenWithList
For KM Logical drives of the branch:
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 A type was Context menu
Now a little about how create your own item in the context menu.
The fact is that adding such an item for folders or certain files, as well as on an "empty" place using the registry, will not work. It can only be assigned to when it opens with RMB on the Desktop. Therefore, I recommend reading the article and using what is described there.
Well, or use another utility - Ultimate Windows Context Menu Customizer () which has a bunch of possibilities, but in English. And there we just need to select an item and delete it:
If anyone is interested in more details and can't figure it out, then write in the comments and I will help. There, in the left column, you need to select the item (computer, folder, files, etc.) where the context menu is called, and to the right, select what to delete and click the button at the bottom of Remove Item. If you are friends with English, you will figure it out.
You can guess how to add your program to CM -\u003e Create if you read the entire article carefully, namely, about deleting one of this item. 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 messy and more in terms of removing from the context menu, since I think that this is more relevant, and there is an article about adding. Therefore, if something is not clear - write in the comments. Let's figure it out.
