Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Microsoft Reworking Windows 11 Context Menus to Cut Clutter and Speed Right‑Click

The company is building a compact menu plus a settings option to hide, reorder, or block third‑party items as part of a WinUI modernization push.

Overview

  • Microsoft is developing a major overhaul of Windows 11’s right‑click (context) menus that aims to make them faster and let users control what appears in the menu, according to reporting and an insider demonstration.
  • Current slowdowns happen because Windows must enumerate many third‑party shell actions when you right‑click, which can add seconds before a menu appears on systems with many apps installed.
  • The planned compact menu will prioritize common actions and avoid loading every third‑party item by default, a change designed to make menus more responsive and more reliable.
  • Microsoft demonstrated a customization interface to Windows Insiders that reportedly lets users show or hide specific actions and apps, reorder entries, and open a 'customize' pane from the menu itself.
  • These changes are part of Microsoft’s broader Windows K2 effort to move UI areas to WinUI for consistency and speed; the work remains in development with limited reporting and no confirmed public release date.