Windows 11 is finally letting you fix one of its most annoying menus

Published Oct 29, 2026, 12:18 PM EDT Viraj Gawde is a Tech Journalist with bylines at Travel+Leisure India & South Asia, Android Headlines, 91Mobiles, Croma Unboxed, etc. He has written thousands of news pieces, how-to guides, product comparisons, listicles, and op-eds on consumer tech. Currently, Viraj is obsessed with the fast-evolving world of artificial intelligence and how it is reshaping the way we work, create, and use tech. As a curious generalist, Viraj's work extends into a wide range of subjects, formats, and storytelling styles. When away from desk, he is a finance, sports, and travel geek with a constant curiosity for new experiences. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Windows 11’s right-click menu has been cluttered for a long time now. There are delays when opening a file menu and an overload of options added by Windows and installed applications. Now, Microsoft is finally fixing this by rolling out a redesigned context menu and giving users greater control over which commands appear. The update also brings layout choices that make the menu adaptable to individual preferences. Trim the clutter and make it faster The headline of Microsoft’s Windows 11 optional update is the revamped context menu—a pop-up you get when you right-click a file or a folder. It can be frustrating when it takes time to appear or is crowded with options you rarely use. The new update is meant to tame this everyday annoyance by handing you the controls. The right-click menu now displays fewer options by default that helps in reducing clutter and improving responsiveness. Instead of cramming every available command like ‘Send to’ and ‘Create shortcuts’ into one long list, the new update lets you turn them on or off. Third-party app integrations can be grouped into an App extensions submenu to keep the main menu clean. Users can also customize the visibility of app extensions—which they want to keep and which ones stay tucked away. Microsoft is also giving flexibility over how familiar file operations appear. You can fold the top row of quick actions like cut, paste, rename back into the main list, bringing back a layout reminiscent of Windows 10. The Properties menu can also be shifted to the bottom of the menu. Microsoft is also giving a lifeline to PCs that won’t boot Reinstall Windows 11 without a USB drive Announced earlier this year, Microsoft is bringing the Cloud Rebuild feature with the same update as the redesigned right-click menu. Windows 11 already has a Cloud Download recovery option, but this feature goes further by doing a full reinstall and fetching drivers directly from Windows Update. You can access Cloud Rebuild from Settings > System > Recovery > Rebuild PC. If your computer fails to boot repeatedly, it should enter the Windows Recovery Environment, where you can pick Cloud Rebuild from the Troubleshoot menu. However, this should be treated as a last resort, as it is a full reinstallation. It’s recommended to back up your files, keep the PC plugged in, and connected to the internet. Both the redesigned context menu and Cloud Rebuild are arriving through Windows 11’s October update KB5127936 for versions 25H2 and 26H2. This is a phased rollout, so it might take some time to arrive on eligible PCs. Source: Microsoft