How to bring back the classic context menu in Windows 11

Konstantin Dokuchaev -

One more thing can be added to the list of unpleasant changes in Windows 11. The context menu now looks different, which breaks the usual rhythm of work.

In general, in Windwows 11, the context menu is not so different from the dozen and I have no problems with it. And for the rest, I will tell you how to fix everything.

How to get the context menu back through the registry and command line

To return the usual context menu, you need to make the following entry in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32]
@=””

Or, in the command line with administrator rights, run the command:

reg.exe add “HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32” /f

To return the menu from Windows 11, delete the registry entry:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}]

Or on the command line:

reg.exe delete “HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}” /f

After any of the actions, you need to restart Explorer.

How to return the context menu using the utility

Windows 11 Classic Context Menu returns the familiar context menu to Windows 11 users. This solution will help if the steps described above are completely incomprehensible or you are afraid to delete something unnecessary.

When you start the utility, there are only three buttons waiting for you.

  • Enable Win11 Classic Context Menu Style - activates the classic menu from Windows 10
  • Enable Win11 Deafault Context Menu Style - Returns menus from Windows 11
  • Restart Explorer - restarts Explorer.

Just press the button you want, restart File Explorer and enjoy the result.

Download Windows 11 Classic Context Menu