How to set up Windows 11's new customizable right-click menu

Windows 11’s right-click menu has been a sore point since 2021: slow to open, stuffed with entries that apps add on their own, and hiding half of what you want behind “Show more options”. Microsoft is finally fixing it. The redesigned menu started rolling out on 28 October 2026 in the optional update KB5127936, and it comes with a proper settings page.

The catch is the rollout. Microsoft says the new menu is arriving gradually, so installing the update doesn’t guarantee you’ll see it. This guide covers installing the update, checking whether the menu is live, forcing it on if it isn’t, and configuring it once it is.

What you need and how long it takes

Budget about 15 minutes, plus the time Windows Update needs to download and install the patch. Most of that is the restart. The ViVeTool step, if you need it, adds roughly five minutes and a second reboot.

Here’s the checklist:

A PC running Windows 11 version 25H2 or 26H2. Microsoft’s release notes list KB5127936 for both, as build 26200.9818 (25H2) and build 26300.9818 (26H2).
An administrator account.
Optional: ViVeTool v0.3.4 from its GitHub page, only if the menu doesn’t appear after the update.

If you’re still on 24H2, this update isn’t coming to you. Windows Latest notes that 24H2 reached end of support on 13 October, so you won’t get today’s optional update or any later ones. Windows 11 26H1, a separate release, gets its own preview update, KB5127653, according to Microsoft’s message centre note.

I verified the menu paths below against Microsoft’s KB5127936 release notes and against hands-on guides from Windows Latest, Neowin and Pureinfotech, all published in the last few weeks. I haven’t tested these on a clean machine myself, so treat the exact toggle wording as accurate to those sources.

Step 1: install the October preview update

The update is labelled “preview”, but Windows Latest points out that optional updates are production quality. You don’t have to rush, either: everything in this build is due to reach all PCs on 10 November as part of Patch Tuesday. If you’d rather wait, that’s a perfectly reasonable choice.

Open Settings (Win+I) and select Windows Update.
Turn on Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available. The optional update won’t download automatically on PCs where this toggle is off.
Click Check for updates.
When 2026-10 Preview Update (KB5127936) appears, click Download & install. On 26H2 it’s listed with build 26300.9818.
Restart when prompted.

The update is cumulative, so it bundles everything from earlier months, including changes that rolled out in August. If you’d paused updates, one install catches you up. Microsoft also publishes an offline .msu installer, but for a home PC Windows Update is the better route.

To confirm the install, press Win+R, type winver and check the build number ends in .9818.

Step 2: check whether the new menu has arrived

Right-click any file in File Explorer, or an empty spot on the desktop. Look at the bottom of the menu. If there’s a Customize menu entry, you have the new experience and can skip straight to step 4.

Neowin’s hands-on describes a few other differences. The “Show more options” button is gone by default, so the usual file actions (Cut, Copy, Rename, Delete, Open with, Properties) sit in the first menu. There’s also an App extensions submenu that groups entries from installed apps, such as editing an image in Paint or Photos.

If you still see the old menu, the controlled rollout simply hasn’t reached you. You can wait for 10 November, or force it.

Step 3: force it on with ViVeTool

ViVeTool is an open-source utility that flips hidden feature flags in Windows. It’s not a Microsoft tool, and flipping flags on a production PC carries the usual risk of odd behaviour. Make a restore point first if you care about the machine. Search for “Create a restore point” in Start, select your system drive and click Create.

Download ViVeTool from its official GitHub releases page. Windows Latest points to ViVeTool-v0.3.4-IntelAmd.zip for Intel and AMD PCs, and ViVeTool-v0.3.4-SnapdragonArm64.zip for Snapdragon PCs.
Extract the zip to a folder named ViVeTool on your C drive, so the executable ends up at C:\ViVeTool\ViVeTool.exe.
Right-click the Start button and open Terminal (Admin).
Type cd C:\ViVeTool and press Enter.
Type vivetool /enable /id:60813048 and press Enter. You should see a message saying the feature configuration was set successfully.
Restart the PC, then right-click a file again.

The feature ID 60813048 has been the standard one since the menu first reached Insiders in August. On final builds it’s less predictable, though. Neowin tested on build 26300.9711 and found the single ID didn’t work on its own; the menu only appeared after enabling a second ID alongside it.

If step 5 does nothing for you, try the pair: vivetool /enable /id:49453572,60813048. Neowin also mentions a third ID that some builds need, which makes the full command vivetool /enable /id:49453572,60813048,61934903. Restart after each attempt.

To undo any of this, run the same command with /disable instead of /enable and the same IDs, then restart.

Step 4: set up the menu

You can reach the settings page two ways: click Customize menu at the bottom of the right-click menu, or open Settings > Personalization > Context menu. The page has two broad areas: which commands show up, and how the menu is laid out.

Choose your file actions

Under File actions, each built-in command has its own toggle. Microsoft’s notes say you can switch commands such as Send to and Create shortcut on or off, and add ones that Windows 11 dropped, such as Print. Other sources list Copy as path and an image rotate option too. What appears depends on the file type you right-click.

The defaults are minimal. In Windows Latest’s testing on an earlier Insider build, Send to, Print, Rotate image and Create shortcut were all off. If you used Windows 10 heavily, switching on Send to and Print is probably the first thing you’ll do.

One quirk from a hands-on write-up: turning Copy as path off only removes it from the new menu. It still appears in the legacy menu, and Ctrl+Shift+C still copies a file’s path.

Tame the app extensions

This is the part that fixes the clutter. You can decide which app extensions appear in the main menu, which go into the submenu, and whether the submenu is hidden entirely. Windows Latest also reports you can hide individual entries, including Notepad’s option on .txt files.

If a cloud storage app is crowding the menu, look for the option that keeps cloud storage actions in their own section. It stops OneDrive commands mixing in with everything else.

Pick a layout

Arrange primary actions inline: turn this on and Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename and Delete drop into a vertical text list, closer to the Windows 10 layout, instead of a row of icons at the top.
Properties at the bottom: Microsoft’s notes say you can move Properties to the bottom of the menu.
Show more options: Neowin describes an option to bring the button back. Windows Latest says you can also make the legacy menu appear right away instead of holding Shift.

The legacy menu still matters. Older tools like 7-Zip depend on it, because they haven’t adopted the newer extension model. Hold Shift and right-click to reach it from the new menu, as Microsoft’s notes describe.

One more toggle sits under Additional options: Show “Customize menu” on the context menu. Once your menu is set up the way you like, you can turn it off to remove the shortcut. The settings page remains reachable through Personalization.

Common problems and fixes

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
KB5127936 doesn’t appear in Windows Update	Optional updates are hidden when the early-updates toggle is off, or you’re on 24H2	Turn on Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available and check again. On 24H2, upgrade to 25H2 or 26H2 first.
Update installed, but no “Customize menu” entry	Controlled rollout hasn’t reached your PC	Wait until 10 November, or enable the feature flag with ViVeTool.
ViVeTool reports success, menu unchanged	You haven’t restarted, or your build needs extra feature IDs	Restart. If nothing changes, try `/id:49453572,60813048`, then the three-ID version.
ViVeTool command not recognised	Terminal isn’t in the ViVeTool folder	Run `cd C:\ViVeTool` first, or use the full path to ViVeTool.exe. Make sure Terminal was opened as admin.
7-Zip or another older tool is missing from the menu	The app uses the legacy extension model	Hold Shift while right-clicking, or enable the legacy menu option on the Context menu page.
A command you turned off still shows up	The toggle only affects the new menu	Check the legacy menu. Copy as path, for example, stays there even when switched off.
Cut, Copy and Paste are icons you can’t read	Default layout puts them in a top row	Turn on Arrange primary actions inline.
Something misbehaves after using ViVeTool	Experimental flags on a production build	Run the same command with `/disable`, restart, or roll back to your restore point.

What else is in the update

The right-click menu is the headline, but KB5127936 carries other changes. Microsoft lists a dark mode for the File Explorer Folder Options dialog, and a new “~” shortcut that jumps straight to your user profile folder. The notes also mention a refreshed Gaming Task View in Xbox mode, per-monitor zoom for Magnifier, and a cloud rebuild option that reinstalls Windows from an image downloaded through Windows Update, even when Windows can’t start.

Microsoft frames the menu work as part of its “Windows K2” effort, aimed at fixing core complaints about the OS. It’s an admission that the Windows 11 menu was slow and cluttered. Whether the fix goes far enough is something you can judge after a day of normal use.

What this means for you

If you’re on 25H2 or 26H2 and you right-click a lot, install KB5127936 now and turn on the early-updates toggle. If the menu appears, spend five minutes on the Context menu page: switch off the app extensions you never use, and switch on Print or Send to if you miss them.

If the menu doesn’t appear and you’re not in a hurry, wait for the 10 November Patch Tuesday update. You skip ViVeTool and its experimental-flag risk entirely, and the same build reaches everyone.

If you do use ViVeTool, make a restore point first and write down the IDs you enabled. Start with the single ID, and only add the others if the menu stays missing. And if you rely on 7-Zip or any older shell extension, keep the Shift+right-click habit or enable the legacy menu option, because those entries live there.

Anyone still on 24H2 Home or Pro should treat this as a prompt to move to 25H2 or 26H2, since that edition has stopped receiving updates.

How to set up Windows 11’s new customizable right-click menu