Microsoft is introducing expandability to the context menu in Windows 11

Microsoft is updating right-click context menus in Windows 11. Also, Microsoft is trying to improve contextual file operations and introduces new capabilities for Windows applications, including unpackaged Win32 applications. The new context menu has a modern design and it is much more compact.

Unlike Windows 10 feature updates, Windows 11 has a lot of changes. If you are using the Windows 11 Insider Preview program, you probably know that Windows 11 has a new design for various context menus. This new context menu is still in its early stages of development and still don’t have the same functionality which is available in the classic context menu.

Now for older applications a new Show Advanced Options section is present in the new context menu. Clicking Show Advanced Options will open the original context menu that comes bundled with previous operating systems such as Windows 10. Of course, the original context menu now also supports rounded corners, but the design remains completely unchanged.

This new context menu of Windows 11 not only improves usability but also improves performance. As you probably know, the classic context menu has been in an unregulated environment since Windows XP. Microsoft does not allow users to customize the context menu or prevent applications from adding new options to the menu. This causes performance and reliability issues on Windows 10 and earlier.

With the new Show Advanced Options option, Windows 11 launches the classic context menu in a way that does not affect overall system performance. Applications that rely on old APIs will continue to work with this new setting. In addition to performance improvements, common Windows commands are now placed at the top of the modern menu like frequently used actions such as cut, copy, rename, share and delete are placed as small buttons in the top bar and can be opened with a finger or Reach pen well.

Likewise, Microsoft plans to group the “Open” and “Open With” options to organize menus, and finally, the Refresh button is back for those who need to frequently update their desktop/folder content.