Microsoft has officially confirmed that it will allow users to customize Windows 11’s right-click menu (also known as context menu) to their own preferences, which means users can add or remove menu items. The news marks an important step for Microsoft in listening to user feedback, ending years of user complaints.
Marcus Ash, Microsoft’s director of Windows and device design and research, confirmed this feature in a post on social platform X. He said the right-click menu will load faster and more concisely by default. "We're working on making context menus faster, simpler by default, and configurable to what users use most. More details on our progress will be shared soon," Ashe tweeted.
Being able to customize context menus wasn't on this reporter's list, but the news comes as a surprise because Microsoft has proven it's listening to user feedback. This is part of the company's overall plan to make Windows 11 a better operating system, in the words of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, to "win back" fans by focusing on basic functions.
Windows 11’s context menu was originally designed to improve upon Windows 10’s version. Windows 11 not only replaces the Start menu, but also replaces the right-click menu of Windows 10. The new context menu adopts rounded corners and Fluent Design style, which makes it look more modern, but it is not as fast as the Windows 10 version. What's more, it sometimes contains too many items, taking up a large portion of the screen and appearing cluttered. This goes against the original intention of Windows 11 to make menus simpler.
In 2021, Microsoft admitted that Windows 10's context menu had become too crowded over time, mainly because the feature had been developed in an "unregulated environment for 20 years." This system started with Windows XP's IContextMenu, and Microsoft never tried to change it, resulting in a constant accumulation of menu items. Over the years, Windows 10's right-click menu has become very long. Important cut or copy operations are placed far away from the mouse pointer, making it difficult for users to find what they need. The problem is exacerbated by poor organization. For example, "Open" and "Open with" are sometimes separated far apart.
At that time, Microsoft promised that Windows 11 would improve the right-click menu to make it modern, more responsive, more organized, and simpler. Microsoft says Windows 11 solves these problems by placing "commonly used commands next to where they are called in the menu," grouping "Open" and "Open with" and moving app-added commands into a more organized structure. Microsoft also promises that "no commands have been completely removed," as Show More Options will still load the Windows 10 context menu as-is to support older commands and apps that haven't been migrated to the new model.
Five years later, Windows 11 has clearly failed to address major issues. While it does a better job of organizing projects and does look "modern", it's still a cluttered mess. Not only that, but Windows 11's menus feel "larger" than the Windows 10 version due to the extra padding. Users can always return to the original context menu via "Show more options", and some people use third-party apps to make it the default, but this is not ideal.
More customization options are coming to Windows 11. Context menus aren't the only feature becoming more customizable. Microsoft recently added the ability to move the taskbar and is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to shrink the Start menu. The company is also testing a modular design for the Start menu, allowing users to turn off different sections or even all of them, including the least favorite "Recommended" (now renamed "Recent").
The upcoming context menu changes appear to be part of this larger effort. Users can look forward to continued improvements in the basic experience of Windows 11, and Microsoft is rebuilding user trust by focusing on core functions.