Windows Add Context Menu Item

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Windows Add Context Menu Item

Active3 months ago

I have found out how to add right-click context menu items to files on Windows Explorer, by adding keys to the registry. I.e. I can right-click on a file in Explorer and run a custom app against that file.

METHOD A: To Add an Item in 'New' Menu 1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. It'll open Registry Editor. Many of us like the convenience of the context menus in Windows Explorer and hate typing long paths in the command prompt window. This tool is going to address this issue by adding a new item on the context menu when you right click on a folder.

I have found out how to add right-click context menu items to files on Windows Explorer, by adding keys to the registry. I can right-click on a file in Explorer and run a custom app against that.

I would like to do the same for a folder and have not found a way to do that (yet). I see articles on creating/writing custom context menu handlers, but I would rather not go there.

I have found an article here on how to add cascading context menu items to the Desktop and to the 'Computer' in Explorer, but this does not work for any folder.

I would like to be able to add my custom app to the context menu and have it work on both files and folders. Is there a way to do this without writing a context menu handler?

ElanElan

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5 Answers

Context menu for right click on folders in left panel of Windows Explorer or on background of a directory in right panel:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryBackgroundshell if you are administrator
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesdirectoryBackgroundshell if you are a normal user

Context menu for right click on folders in right panel of Windows Explorer:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshell if you are administrator
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesdirectoryshell if you are a normal user

Context menu for any file:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*shell if you are administrator
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClasses*shell if you are a normal user

In all cases:

add a new key under 'shell', naming it as you want to name thecontext menu item
add a new key inside this key, named command (mandatory name)
edit the 'default' property in 'command' tomyprogrampathpathpathexecutable.exe %1 to pass the file path andname of the selected file to your custom program

More customization:

Add icon: adds a string value named icon for key created at step 1 with value matching an icon resource path. You can also provide an integer arguments to specify which icon to use. Example: %SystemRoot%System32shell32.dll,3
Display only on shift-click: adds an empty string value named Extended for key created at step 1
Customize menu entry label: change the value of default value for key created at step 1
Change menu entry location: adds a string value named Position with one of: Top, Bottom

I found the solution in the below article, which describes how to do this via the registry for files, as well as for folders:

The following two articles provided additional info and options:

ElanElan

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I went back and also answered this in another topic since there doesn't appear to be much on this question specifically.

I found the simplest way was to add a String Value to the key called 'AppliesTo' and set its value to 'under:{path}'

In my example, I want it to only look in the T Drive, so my String value is 'AppliesTo':'under:T:'.

In C#, this is easily accomplished with the following:

Community♦

Bobby ByrnesBobby Byrnes

Found a cleaner, easier and faster solution: create a text file, fill it with these contents, update it to your needs, save with .reg suffix and launch it (it does not need administrator priviliges because it accesses user-part of the registry):

In this way you can also have a backup of your configuration: just save the .reg file in a safe place. If you manually edit the registry after launching the file, right-click and slect 'export'.

Beware of double backspaces in path:

jumpjackjumpjack

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The only good solution I found a really working is : https://superuser.com/questions/1097054/shell-context-menu-registry-extension-doesnt-work-when-default-program-is-other

Add keys in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTSystemFileAssociationsyour.extensionshellcommandModify the last key with the command you wanna do.

For my purpose it was :

If I export the it I get a .reg :

Dorian GrvDorian Grv

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You can add Copy Path context menu command in Windows 10 without even the requirement to hold down the Shift key when right clicking. With a simple Registry tweak, you can make Copy Path menu item always visible in the right click menu of File Explorer. This is very convenient and time saving. Let's see how it can be done.

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In Windows 10, there are several ways to use the copy as path command. It is available directly on the Ribbon user interface, on the Home tab:

Alternatively, you can press and hold the Shift key and right-click a file or folder in File Explorer. A hidden command Copy as path will appear in the context menu.

If you prefer to use the context menu method, you might want to save your time and add the command permanently without having to hold down the Shift key. This can be done with a simple Registry tweak.

Get Copy Path Context Menu Always Visible in Windows 10

The easiest way to add any Ribbon command to the context menu is to use Winaero's Context Menu Tuner. It has an easy-to-use interface and will allow you to add any command you want.

If you prefer doing it manually by editing the Registry yourself, read on.

Here are the contents of the *.reg file that you need to apply.

Run Notepad. Copy and paste the text above into a new document.

In Notepad, press Ctrl + S or execute the File - Save item in the menu. This will open the Save dialog.

There, type or copy-paste the following name 'Copy_as_path.reg' including quotes. Quotes are important to ensure that the file will get the '*.reg' extension and not *.reg.txt. You can save the file to any desired location, for example, you can put it in your Desktop folder.

Now, double-click the file Copy_as_path.reg you created.Confirm the UAC prompt.

The command will appear in the context menu instantly. See the following screenshots:

To save your time, I made ready-to-use Registry files. You can download them here:

The undo file is included, so you can avoid manual Registry editing completely.

If you are interested in learning how the tweak works, refer to the following article:

I wrote it some time ago. It explains the magic behind the trick perfectly.

Tip: If you prefer the Quick Access Toolbar instead of the context menu, read How to add any Ribbon command to the Quick Access toolbar in Windows 10.

Actually, the tweak is not new. We covered it last year in the article How to add any Ribbon command to the right click menu in Windows 8.

That's it.