Windows 11 Context Menu Gets Cleaner, Faster Redesign

Microsoft has overhauled the Windows 11 context (right-click) menu, explaining that it had become crowded and slow over time. The new menu has less clutter at the top while keeping popular actions easy to find. Microsoft says it is faster mainly because it starts out cleaner, since every app that adds its own items makes the menu work harder each time it opens.

Customize Shortcut

A new Customize shortcut at the bottom of the menu opens a page in Settings under Personalization > Context menu, with three sections:

1. Built-in commands: turn commands such as Send to or Create shortcut on or off, and enable commands like Print that were missing before.

2. App extensions: choose which appear in the main menu or in a submenu, or hide the submenu completely.

3. Common commands: list Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete and Share in the menu, more like Windows 10, instead of as a row of icons, and move Properties to the very bottom.

Availability

The changes come in Beta Channel build 26220.9757, which also brings performance improvements to the Settings home page. Microsoft has not shared speed figures. The rollout is gradual, and testers on the separate 26H1 track get build 28020.3292 instead. Microsoft reminds testers that features in these builds may not reach the final release.