How To Enable Windows 11 Classic Context Menu

In this post, I will demonstrate how to enable the Windows 11 Classic Context Menu. With a simple registry tweak, you can bring back the classic context menu on Windows 11.

In Windows 11, a context menu appears when you right-click on the desktop or a file or folder. This new context menu in Windows 11 (also known as the modern context menu or right-click menu) is very different from what we see in Windows 10.

In Microsoft Store, you’ll find third-party apps that can enable custom context menu for Windows 11. Unless it is from a recognized developer, don’t install these apps as they may not work well for all Windows 11 versions.

Windows 11 New Modern Context Menu

Windows 11 offers several new features and one among them is the redesigned context menu. It comes in a minimal design, has rounded corners, transparent UI, and design elements that follow the mobile interface.

When you right-click an item, you can click on “Show more options” or use the Shift + F10 keyboard shortcut to access the other entries. The Copy, Cut, Paste options are displayed as icons in Windows 11 modern context menu.

The classic context menu available in Windows 10 does provide more options and a lighter feel than the new one. If you have been on Windows 10 for a long time, the new modern context menu on Windows 11 seems entirely unique.

After upgrading to Windows 11, a lot of users felt difficult to adapt to this next context menu. Some users have complaints about the fact that the copy, cut, paste, rename, and other menu options have been replaced with icons.

In Windows 11, there is no built-in way to change from the new context menu to the old classic context menu. Microsoft hopes that users will become accustomed to this new context menu. It is possible to disable the new context menu to enable the new classic right-click menu by editing the Registry.

Note: Before you modify the Windows Registry, make sure you take a backup of the entire registry. This will help you restore the entries if something goes wrong. Using third-party software to backup the registry will work, too.

Enable Windows 11 Classic Context Menu

Let’s look at the steps to enable the classic context menu in Windows 11 using registry. The only way to change Windows 11’s context menu to the Windows 10 version is through the Registry Editor. Press Windows + R on your keyboard, type “regedit” on the Run window and press enter.

In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID. Right-click the CLSID key and select New > Key.

Enter the key value as {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}. Right-click this newly created Key and select New > Key.

Specify the name for this key as InprocServer32 and press Enter.

Double-click the newly created key and set its value to blank to enable the classic context menu on Windows 11. After making these changes, restart the computer.

Sign in to Windows 11 PC and right-click on the desktop or file or folder. On doing so you will see the classic context menu appears instead of the modern menu. This is how you get the old context menu on Windows 11.

Switch Back to Modern Menu from the Classic Context Menu

On Windows 11, if you don’t like the classic context menu and want to revert to default modern menu, you can simply delete the {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2} key and subkeys from the Registry. You must restart your computer after you delete the keys.