Get the Old Right-Click Menu Back in Windows 11

Windows 11's new right-click menu hides half the options behind "Show more options." Annoying when you want to do something quickly. Here's how to bring back the classic full menu.

Option 1: Use Shift + Right-Click (no setup needed)

The fastest way to see the old menu without changing any settings. Hold Shift and right-click any file or folder. The classic full menu appears.

Or with the keyboard: select the file (single click), then press Shift + F10.

Option 2: Make the old menu the default (registry edit)

This makes the classic menu appear every time you right-click.

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type regedit, press Enter, click Yes
3. In the address bar at top, paste: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID
4. Right click CLSID in the left pane > New > Key
5. Name it exactly: {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
6. Right click that new key > New > Key
7. Name it: InprocServer32
8. Click on InprocServer32. On the right, double click (Default)
9. Leave Value data blank, click OK
10. Close Registry Editor
11. Restart Windows Explorer: Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find Windows Explorer, right click > Restart

Right click any file. Old menu appears.

Easier: Use a command instead

If editing the registry is intimidating, you can do the same thing with one command.

1. Right click Start > Terminal (Admin)
2. Paste this and press Enter:
   reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve
3. Restart your computer (or just restart Windows Explorer via Task Manager)

How to undo it

If you change your mind:

1. Open Terminal (Admin)
2. Paste: reg.exe delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}" /f
3. Press Enter, restart computer

What about the right-click menu being completely broken?

If right-click does nothing at all:

• Restart Windows Explorer (Ctrl + Shift + Esc > Windows Explorer > right click > Restart)
• Recently installed apps with shell extensions can break the menu. Try uninstalling them
• Run sfc /scannow in Terminal (Admin)
• Disable third-party shell extensions with the free ShellExView tool

Why Microsoft did this

The Windows 11 menu was meant to be cleaner and faster, focusing on the most-used commands. Many people miss having everything visible. Either way, you have options.