Remove from context menu. Cleaning context menus in Windows - how to remove unused commands in the content menu left by already deleted programs, WinZip Archives, Explorer context menus. Cleaning up the directory set
Over time, contextual Windows menu is growing. The longer you use your computer and the more programs you install, the longer it becomes. You can clean it and remove unnecessary fields using CCleaner programs or editing the registry.
First way. Go to the Piriform website in the downloads section and download free version CCleaner. There is only one difference from the paid version - there is no technical support.
Install the program and run it. If you wish, you can change the interface language to Russian.
Go to the “Service” section and select “Startup” in the menu that appears. There are several tabs here, we are interested in the “Context Menu”. Go to this tab, you will see a list of programs that have added their commands to the context menu, and their status: enabled or not. Those commands that you do not use can be deleted. To do this, click on the application field right click mouse and select the “Delete” option. You can return a deleted command only after reinstalling the application or reconfiguring it.
However, you can clear the menu without programs - by making changes to the registry manually. To do this, open the registry editor (Windows/system32/regedit.exe or through a search in Start).
Find the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers branch. It shows the commands that appear in the context menu of files of any type. Remove values that you think are unnecessary.
Commands associated with specific file types can be found in folders in the root branch HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Select a file extension that you see frequently and remove unused commands.
The commands in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Directory\shell and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Folder\shell branches are responsible for the context menu of folders.
Over time, the context menu that appears when you click the right mouse button becomes clogged with various unnecessary items. Due to the presence of these items, the context menu begins to appear with some time delays, which can quite interfere with normal operation. It is almost impossible to remove them without using any third-party programs.
Let's look at how the program works ShellExView and let's try using it to remove an item from the Windows 7 context menu.
ShellExView is a small utility with which you can individually disable each item just by highlighting it and clicking on the red ball. The program is Russified and has a clear and very simple interface. Below you can see what the program window looks like.
Removing an item from the context menu
So, before proceeding with the instructions, I want to warn you, if you doubt something or do not understand how to work with this software at all, then it is better not to take risks, otherwise you will have to reinstall the operating system later.
1. Download the ShellExView program and run it.
2. In order for the elements that belong to the context menu to be located at the beginning of the list, at the top find the tab with the text “Type” and click on it once.
3. Find the items you want to delete. To remove, select the extension that is associated with our item and click on the red ball at the top left edge of the program window.
As you know, you can create some types of objects in Windows directly from the Explorer context menu; just right-click in the selected location and select the “Create” menu. By default, in Windows 10, the following sub-items are available for this menu item: folder, shortcut, bitmap, contact, RTF document, simple text document and a compressed folder.
If you have a number of programs on your computer, for example, WinRAR or Microsoft Office, there will be other items in the submenu.The contents of the submenu will also depend on the selected location. So, in system disk You will only have access to the “Folder” item, and in the “Libraries” catalog - only the “Library” item. It may well happen that you will never find a use for all or only some of the sub-items of the “Create” menu, and therefore you want to hide them so that they do not interfere and do not take up space in the menu.
If unnecessary option belongs to a third-party program, it is worth looking for a setting that disables it in the parameters of this program, but you can use a more universal method.
A subsection with the corresponding name or extension in the system registry section HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is responsible for displaying a particular element in the context menu, in this case for the “Create” submenu. Each such subsection has a ShellNew directory; if you delete it, the item in the Explorer context menu will also disappear.
Let's demonstrate this with an example. Let's say you want to delete the “Document in RTF format” item.
Open the registry editor with the regedit command, expand the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT section, find the .rtf element, go into it and delete the ShellNew folder from there, having previously created backup copy key in order to be able to restore the menu item if necessary.
All other elements are deleted in the same way.
The “Contact” sub-item in the registry will correspond to the .contact element,
text file - .tхt,
RAR archive - .rar,
compressed ZIP folder - .zip,
bitmap - .bmp,
library - .library-ms,
shortcut - .lnk, folder - Folder.
This is how easy it is to get rid of all unnecessary elements in the “Create” submenu.
At the end of the article, I will show beginners how to create a backup copy of any registry branch on the desktop.
Friends, if on the contrary you want to add additional elements to the context menu of the desktop, folder, file, local disk, That .
Good day... In today's article we will talk about how to clear the context menu of the Explorer program in Windows 7.In general, the Windows Explorer context menu is a convenient tool. But it quickly becomes overgrown with unnecessary points.
Almost every second program considers it its duty to cram its own commands or sub-items into them. Of course, for some types of software this is relevant and in demand by users.As an example, an item added by the majority antivirus programs– “Check for viruses” (the exact name varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, of course).
Why is a “clogged” context menu bad?
Usability difficulties arise. Simply put, it is more difficult to find the desired item or command in the menu with your eyes if there are several dozen sub-items there than when there are half a dozen of them. In addition, pop-up submenu blocks confuse even experienced users, even if only for seconds. And there’s nothing to say about newcomers.
Due to the menus being clogged with unnecessary junk, the system itself, or rather the explorer (Explorer.exe), begins to slow down. Such “brakes” can be noticeable even on the newest and most powerful configurations, not to mention the “budget” and “office” options.
It would seem - uninstall unnecessary program and the commands associated with it will also be deleted. But what if the program is needed, but its items in the context menu are not? In addition, not all programs “clean up after themselves” when uninstalled, i.e. Menu items may remain when the program associated with them is no longer in the system.
There are two ways to solve
- Using system tools (registry editor)
- Using third party utilities
Note
- You can simply press the Win + R combination and type “regedit” (without quotes)
- On Win 7 and 8, it is better to run Regedit.exe immediately as an administrator
Important! Before further steps, you need to export the edited subsection !
It's easy to do. Right click on the subsection title – “Export”...
In the window that opens, the system will “ask” what to export (a separate branch or the entire registry), in which folder to save the copy and under what name. In the future, if necessary, you can return everything “to the way it was” by simply double-clicking on this copy file (import back) and reboot the computer to be sure.
So. You need to find and open the thread:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlersand delete unnecessary context menu items (the same as in screenshot 1, just select the “Delete” command).In addition, you should immediately look intoHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\OpenWithList
Here are the program entries from the “Open with” context menu sub-item. Cleaning it, as a rule, gives a very noticeable increase in the speed of the conductor. In the same way, you can clear the unnecessary context menu for folders in branches:
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenu Handlers
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellHKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
And for certain file types in entries like “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.<расширение файла>" For example – “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.avi”.
The advantages of this method
- Does not require installation of unnecessary programs
- All changes are reversible
Disadvantages of this method
- Quite a labor-intensive process (manually edit many parameters).
- Difficult for novice users.
- Some programs are recorded in the above sections not by their name, but by a “human-incomprehensible” identifier (this can be seen in screenshot 3). As a result, they must first be “identified.”
- There is a risk of “hooking” commands and points of the system itself (once again, emphasis on the importance of preliminary export of backup copies!).
Installing a specialized utility
There are quite a lot of programs of this type. Good reviews there is about the ContextEdit program. But it's paid. There are more free CCleaner(read how to use the program). And the Context Menu Tuner program.But they do not “see” all the items in the context menu. And they have problems with “rolling back” actions in case of errors. Autoruns from Win Sysinternals requires professional knowledge. This is clearly not a level for beginners.
Against their background, the fairly reliable and simple program ShellExView by Nirsoft. You can download it from this link. Install the program, copy the crack ShExView_lng.ini to root folder programs and launch.The program is easy to bring to a form that is understandable even for beginners.
“Settings” “Filtering by extension type” “Explorer menu”.
And it’s easy to edit - there is a “Deactivate” command, i.e., an unnecessary item can simply be disabled without deleting it. In case of an error, you can turn it back on with two mouse clicks (the “Activate” command).
Pros
- There is a zipped version (does not require installation)
- Doesn’t install its own toolbars in browsers, doesn’t go into startup and the Internet on its own, doesn’t offer any advertising nonsense in its interface
Cons
- ShExView_lng.ini crack needs to be copied separately to the program folder
- You need to check for new versions yourself. official website
Conclusion
However, these two aspects can be classified as disadvantages very conditionally. That's basically all I wanted to say about this. I think this article will be useful...
We are already familiar with the concept of a context menu. It's time to deepen our knowledge about it and consider the topic - How to remove or add commands to the Windows context menu.
Windows functionality allows the user to edit the context menu to suit their taste.
Editing the context menu (a set of “Explorer” or “action” menu commands) is possible in one of two ways:
- Through program parameters;
- Through the Windows registry;
- Using additionally installed applications.
Let's see how it's done:
Installed programs themselves often have (by default) the function of integration into a set of context menu (CM) commands. Then such a parameter is present in their settings on the main tabs, or maybe on such as “Integration”, “Download” or “Add”, etc. For example, for the VinRAR archiver it is enough to uncheck the box in the settings:
It is clear that in this way you can either add (install) or remove (remove) command(s) from the list. The same applies to other applications.
Working with the registry
When working with Windows Registry you need to be very careful. To get into the registry, you need to search in the Start menu by typing “regedit” and run the found executable file “regedit.exe”:
Making a copy
Before editing the Registry of any version of Windows (including Windows 7), do not forget to create a backup copy of it to be on the safe side. To do this, in the editor, on the “File” tab, select the “Export” command. Select “Entire registry” at the bottom of the dialog that opens. By assigning a name and specifying the location - “Save”:
If something irreparable happens (especially for an inexperienced person), you can return the registry to its previous state using the “File” / “Restore” command, specifying the previously created backup file.
Cleaning up the directory set
The registry itself looks like a tree-like block diagram (on the left), each of the branches of which has its own parameters (on the right). The “shell”, “Shellex ContextMenuHandlers” and “Folder\shell” branches of the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ Directory” directory are responsible for the context menu of folders. Having examined these branches in more detail, you can make sure that the “shell” folder contains the upper part of the context set, and “Shellex ContextMenuHandlers” - the lower part. The folder “Folder\shell” repeats the previous one.
Removal of program elements from the set is carried out in each of the branches. Right-click to select the delete element and call the “Delete” command:
Now for the files
The same procedure is used here, but in different branches. Since the “*/shellexContextMenuHandlers” and “*/shell” branches in the “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” registry section are responsible for the set of Context Menu commands for files:
The removal procedure is completely similar. Just don’t forget to delete unnecessary things in both branches.
We use third-party applications
Remove or add an item to any context menu Windows versions(including Windows 7) is much easier (and safer for a beginner) using additional utilities.
After installation and launch, in the program window (in the “Type” column), you can see all programs from the Windows context menu (type = Context Menu).
Remove unnecessary items by selecting and clicking the red circle:
An interesting and useful utility with a self-explanatory name (available in a free version) Ccleaner. It has many beneficial properties. Website - http://ccleaner.org.ua/. In our case, it clears the registry of unused entries, paths to programs, shortcuts, etc.:
To clear the Context Menu, go to “Tools” and find “Context Menu” in the “Startup” tabs. A list of applications added to the set and their status will be displayed here (enabled: yes/no):
To delete - while on a line, use the right mouse to call up the “Delete” command. Since repeated return (inclusion in the list) is possible only when reinstalling or reconfiguring the application, it is recommended to select the “Disable” option. - Then it can be easily returned (“Enable”).
Add with FileMenu Tools
It's very easy to add a new item to the context menu using the FileMenu Tools program.
It offers the user three tabs:
- Left - management of suggested elements;
- Medium - to configure the “Send” function;
- Right - disables commands entered by third-party programs from the list:
You need to add a new element using the “Add Command” command. To specify its parameters, the lower right part of the window is used - “Properties”. For example, to add the line “Open in Firefox” to the menu list (opening HTM and HTML files):
You need to enter the name in “Menu Text”, and extension options in “Extensions”:
In “Program Properties” the route to the executable file of the Firefox.exe application is specified:
The added item is saved by clicking the green element at the top of the window (left):
This article helped you understand the various ways to edit the context menu. Now you know how to add and remove elements from it not only using Windows, but also using other programs.
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