- Microsoft is working on optimizing the Windows 11 context menu
- However, this only applies to context-sensitive options available to applications.
- However, it is hoped that it can eventually be used more widely in Windows 11 in File Explorer.
There's a hint that Microsoft may at least consider looking into one of the most serious complaints about Windows 11Interface: Long list of options displayed when you right-click on a file.
How Latest Windows ReportsIt's a change to the right-click menu that offers a variety of context-sensitive options, and it's coming to certain apps – plus there's a chance it could be applied to File Explorer (universal to Windows 11).
The concept was demonstrated at the WinUI community meeting on YouTube (See video below for the relevant section starting at 21 minutes).
This work means that WinUI 3 app developers can use the Split Context Menu feature, which does almost exactly what it says, allowing them to split certain options into a secondary menu.
This means that the app's main context menu may have fewer options and be more streamlined, with some other options hidden in secondary pop-up menus outside the main list.
An example of right-clicking an image file shows a context-sensitive “Open in Photos” option, and then the option to use other apps (Paint, Snipping Tool) is hidden in a secondary menu rather than listed in the main menu, further cluttering it.
Additionally, many other options are removed from the top-level context menu, such as the ability to rotate an image (left or right), the copy option, and OneDrive is also shown as removed from the context menu.
Analysis: Right click – okay?
Before you get too excited, this is just a change that the WinUI 3 app developers (present in the Windows App Software Development Kit, or SDK) are currently working on. As Windows Latest notes, it's unclear whether this concept will apply across all of Windows 11 or remain limited to these specific apps.
We can certainly hope for the first scenario, as Windows 11's context menu has become more clunky over time. The idea was that Windows 11 would offer something more streamlined than Windows 10 in this department, and the new OS does have fewer right-click options, though that's because some options are hidden behind a “Show more options” button. However, the right-click menu is still too busy for my liking, and more unnecessary Copilot-related bloat has crept in lately. quick actions for AI, and the like (not to mention the many editor options, especially with images).
In short, Microsoft could apply the concept laid out here more broadly to apps, addressing common complaints that Windows 11's context menu is too cluttered. (And there's also the moan about it being sluggish. This is also an old complaint.).
In fact, it would be nice if Microsoft provided a settings panel for the context menu in Windows 11 where you could discard certain settings for system-wide use (to get rid of, say, all mentions of OneDrive or Co-pilot – although the prospect of exiling the AI ​​is perhaps one of the reasons why Microsoft won't go down this route).
This is a shame, since you can use registry hacks or third-party software to mess around with the context menu – but this can be finicky and risky, so why isn't this feature available as a built-in part of desktop customization in Windows 11?
If Microsoft is worried that less advanced people will accidentally break functionality and disable core interface elements without understanding what they're doing, it can always limit the customization options somewhat. Alternatively, assign these abilities PowerToys and at least give us an official additional solution for modifying the context menu.
However, this work on WinUI 3 apps is at least a hint that Microsoft is considering removing some of the more cumbersome aspects of this context-sensitive functionality, and perhaps it will eventually be used more widely in Windows 11.
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