Windows 11 trimmed the right-click menu down to a handful of entries. Actions like "Extract here", "Copy as path" and "Open with Notepad" are hidden behind "Show more options", and if you move files around all day, that extra click gets old fast. Below are the options in order, from quickest to most permanent. Pick the one you are comfortable with.
If what you really want is the whole Windows 10 look back, meaning left-aligned taskbar buttons, the old Start menu and the classic command bar, that is a separate job covered in How to Make Windows 11 Feel Like Windows 10 Again. This article is only about the context menu.
1. Call it up temporarily, no software and no settings changes
If you only need one item from the old menu now and then, do not bother with anything else.
- Shift + right-click. Hold
Shiftand right-click a file, a folder or empty desktop space, and the full legacy menu opens with every classic entry intact. - Shift + F10. Select a file and press
Shift + F10, which does the same thing as "Show more options". - Right-clicking empty desktop space also puts "Show more options" at the bottom of the menu.
The upside is zero risk, since nothing is written to the system. The downside is one extra step every time, so it is a poor fit if you want the full menu to be the default.
2. The registry edit, free and no software to install
This is the most widely shared method. It makes Windows load the complete Windows 10 context menu by default.
Open Command Prompt, PowerShell or Terminal as administrator and paste:
reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /ve /d "" /f
Then open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find Windows Explorer, right-click it and choose Restart. Right-clicking now gives you the old menu.
To go back to the Windows 11 menu, delete the key:
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}" /f
Restart Explorer once more.
If it runs but nothing changes
On Windows 11 24H2 and later (25H2, 26H2) this fallback is not reliable. Reports in the Microsoft community and from users describe the command completing successfully while the right-click menu stays modern. Work through these in order:
- Confirm that the
(Default)value atHKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32is empty. Not a space, not other text. - Restart Explorer, then sign out or reboot the machine.
- A feature update wipes this per-user registry override, which is why the menu so often reverts after an update. Run the command again.
- Still nothing, your build no longer honours this fallback and you need one of the tools below.
The key sits under HKCU, so it only affects the current user. A normal terminal can write it with /f, and administrator rights are not strictly required.
3. Third-party tools, install once and forget it
If you want the full menu every time and would rather not memorise a command, a tool is the easy answer. They hook into Explorer and stay in effect once installed.
ExplorerPatcher, free and open source
- Search GitHub for ExplorerPatcher and install it. Use the official repository, since repacked installers circulate.
- It applies a Windows 10 look on its own. Right-click the taskbar, choose Properties, then tick "Enable classic (legacy) context menu" under File Explorer.
- It also brings back left-aligned taskbar buttons, the Windows 10 Start menu and the classic command bar, so it is a one-stop restore.
- Compatibility note. It works by replacing system components, so after a feature update (24H2 to 25H2, for example) you often have to wait for the author to ship an adapted build. The taskbar may misbehave on update day. Re-running the installer or waiting a few days fixes it, and your data is untouched.
Winaero Tweaker, free and graphical
An open source utility with a graphical switch for the classic full context menu, so you never touch the registry yourself. A good fit if the context menu is the only thing you want to change.
Windhawk, the free fallback when the registry stops working
Also free and open source. Install it, search for the Classic context menu on Windows 11 mod and enable it. You get the traditional menu without relying on that registry key, which makes it the first thing to try when the command does nothing on 25H2 or 26H2.
StartAllBack, paid but the most stable
It costs money and has the best compatibility record, rarely breaking after updates, and it restores the context menu, Start menu and taskbar together. Choose it if you want long-term stability.
Windows Defender occasionally flags these tools. That is a false positive, so download from the official source and add an exclusion.
4. Which one to pick
| What you want | Best choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The old menu occasionally | Shift + right-click, Shift + F10 | Zero risk, nothing changed |
| No software installed | Registry command | Lasts until the next feature update, unreliable on 24H2 and later |
| The full menu as the permanent default | ExplorerPatcher | Free, most capable, watch for post-update compatibility |
| Registry no longer works on your build | Windhawk | Free, mod based, independent of the registry key |
| Maximum stability across updates | StartAllBack | Paid, best compatibility |
| Context menu only, with a GUI | Winaero Tweaker | Free, no command line |
5. Common questions
Does changing the context menu affect the Start menu or taskbar? No. Changing the context menu on its own only affects right-clicking in File Explorer. To restore the taskbar and Start menu as well, use the corresponding switches in ExplorerPatcher.
The menu reverted after a Windows update. Why? A feature update resets Explorer behaviour and clears the registry override. Run the command again, or re-run the ExplorerPatcher installer.
The registry command succeeded but nothing changed. Your build probably no longer honours this fallback. Move to a tool, and try Windhawk or ExplorerPatcher first.
I installed an archive tool but "Extract here" is missing from the menu. Look inside "Show more options" first, since most archive tools still register their classic entries there. If you want them on the modern menu, switch to something with proper Windows 11 integration such as NanaZip.
Taskbar buttons are crammed together and I want them separate. That is the taskbar combine setting, unrelated to the context menu. See How to Uncombine Taskbar Buttons in Windows 11.