Quick answer: On Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2, the October 28, 2026 preview update (KB5127936) adds a Customize menu link at the bottom of the File Explorer right-click menu. It opens a Settings page where you can hide built-in commands like Send to, add Print, tidy app entries into a submenu and show text labels instead of the icon row. The feature is rolling out gradually. If you don’t have it yet, select Show more options or press Shift+F10 to reach the full menu.
In this guide
Which method do you need?
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Hide or add built-in commands, tidy app entries | Customize menu (KB5127936 or later) |
| See the full Windows 10 style menu once | Show more options, Shift+F10 or Shift+right-click |
| Always get the old menu | Registry change (unsupported) |
| Get rid of one app’s entry | The app’s own settings, or uninstall it |
| Stop Explorer crashing on right-click | Our right-click crash guide |
Use the new Customize menu option
What you need
- Windows 11 version 25H2 or 26H2. The KB5127936 page lists builds 26200.9818 and 26300.9818 only, so 24H2 isn’t included for now. See how to install Windows 11 26H2 if you’re on an older version.
- KB5127936 or any later cumulative update. KB5127936 is an optional preview, so open Settings > Windows Update and look under Advanced options > Optional updates. This guide on forcing Windows Update helps if nothing shows up.
- Some patience. Microsoft lists the menu changes under gradual rollout, so the option may not appear straight after installing the update.
Steps
- Open File Explorer and right-click any file or folder.
- Select Customize menu at the bottom of the menu.
- A Settings page opens. Microsoft’s Insider blog post shows it under Personalization.
- Change the options you want. They apply to the next menu you open.
What you can change
Based on Microsoft’s KB5127936 notes, the page lets you:
- Turn built-in commands on or off, for example Send to and Create shortcut.
- Add commands that weren’t in the Windows 11 menu before, such as Print.
- Decide whether app entries (from archive tools, cloud storage and similar apps) appear in the main menu or in a submenu, or hide that submenu completely.
- Show Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete and Share as named items instead of a row of small icons. This is closer to the Windows 10 look.
- Move Properties to the bottom of the menu.
Microsoft says entries added by apps are a major reason the menu can feel slow, so moving or hiding them is worth trying if your menu lags. You don’t need to change anything to keep the default layout, and you can switch any option back on the same page.
Open the full menu when you need it
If Customize menu hasn’t reached your PC, or a command you need only lives in the older menu, these routes still work:
- Show more options at the bottom of the right-click menu opens the classic menu. Microsoft’s context menu help page describes this.
- Shift+F10, or the Menu key on keyboards that have one, opens the classic menu for the selected item. Microsoft mentioned this when Windows 11 launched, in its developer blog.
- Shift+right-click on the desktop opens the extended options, per the KB5127936 notes.
Some app commands appear only in the classic menu because those apps haven’t been updated for the Windows 11 menu. That’s up to the app developer, not a setting you can change.
Make the classic menu the default (unofficial)
Warning: This registry change isn’t a Microsoft setting and isn’t supported. A Microsoft-staff answer on Microsoft Q&A says such workarounds may stop working, and nobody has documented how it interacts with the new KB5127936 menu. Create a restore point first. If System Restore is off, see how to enable system protection.
Open Command Prompt (not as administrator; this only changes your user account) and run:
reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /veThen restart File Explorer from Task Manager, or sign out and back in. To undo it, run:
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}" /fRestart File Explorer again and the standard Windows 11 menu returns.
Remove an app entry for good
Use the app extensions option in Customize menu first, since it can hide every app entry at once. To remove one app’s entry everywhere, look in that app’s own settings for an option about Explorer or shell integration. Many archive and cloud storage apps have one, but the name varies, so check the app’s help. If the app has no such option and you don’t need it, uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Installed apps. We don’t recommend third-party menu editors, because a bad change can break the menu.
When right-click itself breaks
If File Explorer freezes or restarts when you right-click, a faulty shell extension is the usual cause, and changing the menu layout won’t fix it. Follow Windows Explorer crashes on right-click: how to find the cause instead.
Related guides
- Windows Explorer crashes on right-click: how to find the cause and fix it
- How to get and install Windows 11 version 26H2 (the 2026 Update)
- How to force Windows Update to check and install updates
- System Restore “You must enable system protection on this drive”: how to fix it
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