Microsoft is finally addressing one of the more frustrating parts of Windows 11: the right-click context menu. The company has started testing a redesigned version that is meant to open faster, feel less cluttered, and give users more control over which options appear.

The changes are now available to Windows Insiders, with Microsoft saying they are part of a broader effort to improve the performance and reliability of Windows 11. The company has acknowledged that the current context menu has become too crowded over time, especially as more apps add their own entries. It will roll out to all users at a later date.

What’s changing with the Windows 11 context menu?

One of the biggest changes is the way the menu is presented. Microsoft is simplifying the default layout so that right-clicking brings up a usable menu more quickly, while less commonly used options can still be accessed when needed. The company says this should reduce the delay users sometimes experience before the context menu becomes fully responsive.

More importantly, Microsoft is giving users the ability to customize the context menu. A new “Customize menu” option will take users to a dedicated section in Settings, where they can decide which built-in commands and third-party app extensions should appear. This means users can hide options they never use instead of having them permanently take up space.

Over time, though, the menu became cluttered and sluggish, and we recognized the need to dramatically reduce the time between right-clicking and having a menu that’s fully ready to use.

Microsoft

Microsoft is also bringing back some of the flexibility that Windows 10 users had. Users will be able to display common actions such as Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete, and Share directly inside the menu instead of having them displayed as a row of icons. The position of Properties can also be changed so it appears at the bottom, matching the older layout.

The company is making other improvements to File Explorer at the same time. Microsoft says it has addressed numerous sources of freezes, hangs, and delays, which should make browsing folders, renaming files, navigating, and selecting multiple files more reliable.

Some smaller quality-of-life changes are also included. File renames should no longer be interrupted by background synchronization, the Address Bar now supports more types of paths, and middle-clicking can be used to open folders in new tabs from additional areas of File Explorer. File sizes will also be displayed using more familiar units such as KB, MB, and GB.

For now, these changes are limited to Windows Insider preview builds, so regular Windows 11 users will have to wait for Microsoft to move the redesigned context menu into a public release. Still, the update suggests Microsoft is putting more attention on fixing everyday Windows annoyances rather than simply adding new features.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.