The introduction of Windows 11 has brought forth numerous new features, many of which focus on aesthetics. However, some of these cosmetic changes have resulted in a loss of functionality, particularly concerning the right-click menu. If you find yourself facing this issue, fear not, as this article will guide you on how to easily and swiftly restore the classic Windows menu.
The contextual menu is the one that appears when you right-click anywhere using your mouse, whether it’s on a file, folder, or simply an empty space on the desktop. It is highly useful, offering a wide array of options and shortcuts. Unfortunately, with the release of Windows 11, Microsoft decided to alter this contextual menu, requiring users who have been accustomed to previous versions of the operating system for years to undertake additional steps to access the classic menu.
New or classic menu on right click, you choose
Let’s use the contextual menu that appears when we right-click on an empty space on the Windows 11 desktop as an example. This menu offers various options to organize desktop icons, create new documents, and access screen settings, among other functionalities.
As shown in the screenshot above, at the bottom of the menu, there is an option called “Show more options.” Clicking on this option will display the classic menu that was present in previous versions of Windows. Alternatively, you can directly open the classic menu by right-clicking on the desktop while holding down the SHIFT key on your keyboard.
However, it is worth noting that accessing the “usual” menu requires an additional step (either clicking on “Show more options” or holding down SHIFT). This additional step may not be preferable for everyone.
The classic menu offers the same options as the default menu in Windows 11, but it also provides additional features such as direct access to the NVIDIA Control Panel for NVIDIA graphics card users or specific software for Dell monitors, as seen in our case. The rest of the options remain unchanged, making the new Windows 11 menu seem unnecessary, right?
Don’t worry, because you can always restore the classic menu, and we’ll show you how below.
How to return to the classic Windows menu
To revert back to the classic menu that appears when you right-click, you will need to access the Windows Registry Editor. To do this, press the WIN + R keys to open the Run dialog, type “regedit” (without the quotes), and press ENTER. Alternatively, you can click on the Start button and search for “regedit” (again, without the quotes) to open it. Once the Registry Editor is open, follow these steps to navigate to the desired registry key:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesCLSID
There are two ways to access the desired registry key: you can navigate through the menu on the left until you find it, or you can simply copy and paste the key provided below the menu.
Next, we will guide you through a slightly more complex process, but don’t worry, you can simply copy and paste the information we provide. Right-click on the CLSID folder and select New -> Key. A new “folder” will appear under CLSID, waiting for you to assign it a name. Please enter the following name exactly as provided:
{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
After creating this key, you need to repeat the same process once again. Right-click on the newly created key, select New -> Key, and create another key with the exact same name (please ensure the case is correct).
InprocServer32
If you’ve done everything right, you should see something like this:
There is just one final step remaining. On the right side, you will see a key called “(Default)”. Double-click on it, and in the window that appears, leave the value field empty. Then click OK to save the changes.
If you have followed the steps correctly, the field where “(value not set)” used to appear on the right-hand side should now be blank. Once you have completed this step, simply restart your PC. After the restart, you will notice that every time you right-click on a file or on the desktop, the classic menu that you were accustomed to will reappear.