More control over Windows 11 Context Menu use

[TheAndyMac]

Description of the new feature / enhancement

As well as "default and extended" vs "extended only" options, it would be really great to extend the choices available for users, so that the new context menu doesn't land up getting clogged up again....

• Windows 11 menu only, would also not have it on the extended menu
• Legacy (Show More Options) menu only which would use default and extended menu
• Both which is effectively the same as the current "default and extended" option
• Extended Only mode which is as per the current "extended only" option

Secondly, it would be good to offer the option to keep all the PowerToys menu items in a submenu, both on the Windows 11 menu and on the legacy menu.

This approach would allow users to keep lesser used features on the legacy menu and off the Windows 11 main context menu, to simplify the legacy menu if it is on the Windows 11 menu, cope with users whose 3rd party file managers need the legacy entries...

Many more applications are now explicitly providing the option to NOT have the entries on the legacy menu, and it would be great if PowerToys had the same.

Scenario when this would be used?

User wants to keep new Windows 11 menu just focussed on most used features and have lesser used features in the "Show More Options" menu.

User wants the Show More Options menu to only show those items (other than system commands) that are not available on the main Windows 11 menu.

User wants to group all PowerToys items together on the menu, so that the menu length does not grow too much.

Supporting information

No response

[git-thk]

Hi Andy,

Seems quite related to my ticket (and Mahmouds): #31721
At least we both agree on the fact that designing what items to use in the "1st level" context menu is important for productivity.

Lets hope the team shares our thoughts on that.

[TheJoeFin]

/dup #33

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

Hi! We've identified this issue as a duplicate of another one that already exists on this Issue Tracker. This specific instance is being closed in favor of tracking the concern over on the referenced thread. Thanks for your report!

[TheAndyMac]

Can you clarify which this specifically duplicates? I have done a search and can't find these specific feature requests. If there is one which is "similar" then I am happy to add these as commentary to it.

[TheJoeFin]

Is this issue about the ability to change the context menu generally, or just how the PowerToys utilities show up in the context menu?

[TheAndyMac]

Specifically how the PowerToys utilities show up in the context menu, so extending the menu for this settings (example using PowerRename)...

and adding a setting in the Global section to either group (or not) all PowerToys menu items into a sub-menu.

[TheJoeFin]

How is this issue different from #21719?

[TheAndyMac]

OK, fair enough :-) I had completely forgotten that I'd done that one --- it was quite a while ago!

I'll copy the new one so it can be closed (if not already closed) and will spend some time to copy across some of the additional ideas/clarifications as comments in the original request.