Fix Windows 11 Context Menu Show More Options – File Explorer 2026

This is the fastest method using a single command to modify the registry.

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog
2. Type cmd and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt as administrator
3. Click Yes when prompted by User Account Control
4. Run the following command to disable the condensed context menu:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve

5. Press Enter to execute the command
6. You should see "The operation completed successfully"
7. Restart File Explorer by running:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe

Use PowerShell for more advanced registry manipulation with error handling.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Windows Terminal (Admin)
2. If PowerShell doesn't open by default, type powershell and press Enter
3. Run the following PowerShell script:

$regPath = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32"
if (!(Test-Path $regPath)) {
    New-Item -Path $regPath -Force | Out-Null
    Write-Host "Registry key created successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Host "Registry key already exists" -ForegroundColor Yellow
}
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "(Default)" -Value "" -Force
Write-Host "Context menu modification completed" -ForegroundColor Green

4. Press Enter to execute the script
5. Restart File Explorer:

Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force; Start-Process explorer

Use Registry Editor for manual control and verification of changes.

1. Press Windows + R and type regedit, then press Enter
2. Click Yes when prompted by User Account Control
3. Navigate to the following path:

4. Right-click on CLSID and select New → Key
5. Name the new key: {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
6. Right-click on the newly created key and select New → Key
7. Name this key: InprocServer32
8. Click on the InprocServer32 key
9. In the right pane, double-click (Default)
10. Leave the Value data field empty and click OK
11. Close Registry Editor
12. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager
13. Find Windows Explorer in the process list
14. Right-click it and select Restart

For Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise users, use Group Policy for system-wide changes.

1. Press Windows + R and type gpedit.msc, then press Enter
2. Navigate to: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → File Explorer
3. Look for policies related to context menu behavior (note: specific policies may vary by Windows 11 version)
4. If no direct policy exists, use the registry method through Group Policy:
5. Navigate to: User Configuration → Preferences → Windows Settings → Registry
6. Right-click in the right pane and select New → Registry Item
7. Configure the following settings:

• Action: Create
• Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
• Key Path: Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32
• Value name: (Default)
• Value type: REG_SZ
• Value data: (leave empty)

8. Click OK to save the policy
9. Run gpupdate /force in Command Prompt to apply changes immediately

Create a reusable batch script for deploying across multiple Windows 11 systems.

1. Open Notepad as administrator
2. Copy and paste the following batch script:

@echo off
echo Disabling Windows 11 condensed context menu...
echo.

REM Create registry key to disable Show more options
reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve >nul 2>&1

if %errorlevel% equ 0 (
    echo Registry modification successful.
    echo Restarting File Explorer...
    taskkill /f /im explorer.exe >nul 2>&1
    start explorer.exe
    echo.
    echo Context menu fix applied successfully!
    echo You should now see the full context menu when right-clicking.
) else (
    echo Error: Failed to modify registry.
    echo Please run this script as administrator.
)

echo.
pause

3. Save the file as Fix_Context_Menu.bat on your desktop
4. Right-click the batch file and select Run as administrator
5. The script will automatically apply the fix and restart File Explorer
6. For deployment, you can run this script via:

• Group Policy startup/logon scripts
• Microsoft Intune or other MDM solutions
• SCCM software deployment
• PowerShell remoting for multiple systems