What is a context menu?

A context menu is a list of options that appears when you right-click (or control-click) on an item. The options available in a context menu vary depending on the item you've selected. For example, if you right-click on a file, you might see options to open the file, delete the file, or copy the file. If you right-click on a web page, you might see options to save the page, print the page, or open the page in a new tab.

Context menus can be a convenient way to access commonly used commands without having to navigate through a menu bar or toolbar. They can also be used to access hidden or advanced features that aren't available from the main user interface.

How to use context menus

To use a context menu, simply right-click (or control-click) on the item you want to work with. The context menu will then appear. You can then select the option you want to perform.

If you're using a keyboard, you can also access context menus by pressing the Menu key. This will open the system menu, which contains a list of all the context menus that are available for the current window. You can then use the arrow keys to navigate the list and select the context menu you want.

Customizing context menus

In some cases, you may want to customize the options that appear in a context menu. This is possible by editing the registry or by using a third-party tool.

If you're editing the registry, you'll need to navigate to the following key:

```

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\Shell

```

Where `` is the type of item you want to customize. For example, if you want to customize the context menu for files, you would navigate to the following key:

```

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\Shell

```

Once you've navigated to the correct key, you can create a new subkey for each option you want to add to the context menu. The subkey name should be the name of the option, and the subkey value should be the command that will be executed when the option is selected.

For example, if you want to add an option to open a file in Notepad, you would create a new subkey called Open with Notepad and set the subkey value to the following:

```

notepad.exe %1

```

This will cause the file to be opened in Notepad when you select the Open with Notepad option from the context menu.

You can also use a third-party tool to customize context menus. There are a number of different tools available, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. Some popular tools include:

* ContextMenu Editor

* ShellExView

* Explorer++

Conclusion

Context menus can be a useful way to access commonly used commands and hidden features. They can also be customized to meet your specific needs.