Windows 11 Update Speeds up and Customizes Right-click Menus

WHO:

Windows Central - Microsoft is rolling out updated context menus for Windows 11.

Windows Central - Microsoft described the updated menu as “faster, simpler, and more customizable.”

Windows Central - Microsoft’s “Windows K2” effort focuses on core operating-system improvements intended to address user complaints and issues.

TechRadar - The article headline characterizes the right-click menu update as “faster and fully customizable” and quotes a reaction: “Crazy it took them 5 years.”

WHAT:

Windows Central - Windows 11 update KB5127936 is an optional, generally available non-security feature update that includes overhauled context menus.

Windows Central - Microsoft says the updated menu opens more quickly, reduces clutter, and gives users more control over commands and app extensions shown when right-clicking.

Windows Central - Users can turn built-in commands such as Send to and Create shortcut on or off, and add commands such as Print.

Windows Central - Users can choose which app extensions appear in the main menu or a submenu, or hide the app-extensions submenu.

Windows Central - Users can display Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete, and Share as text entries in the menu rather than as a row of icons, and move Properties to the bottom.

Windows Central - The changes allow common actions such as Cut, Copy, and Paste to appear in a vertical list rather than horizontally along the top; users can also turn off apps shown in the menu.

Windows Central - The update also includes a new Xbox task-view interface and updates to File Explorer and Windows Settings.

Ars Technica - The update also adds a cloud recovery option for PCs that will not boot.

WHERE:

Windows Central - The changes apply to Windows 11 context menus and other Windows features.

WHY:

Windows Central - Microsoft’s “Windows K2” effort is aimed at addressing user complaints about core operating-system features; the article says Windows 11 context menus had been slow, cluttered, and confusing.

HOW:

Windows Central - The features are rolling out gradually. Users can enable the “Get the latest updates as soon as they're available” toggle in Windows Settings to receive them sooner, but availability may still be delayed.

(UPDATED October 29, 2026 21:06 UTC)

Microsoft is rolling out an optional Windows 11 update with redesigned right-click menus that open faster, reduce clutter, and let users customize which commands and app extensions appear. Users can add or remove commands, display common actions like Cut, Copy, and Paste as text, and choose whether app extensions appear in the main menu or a submenu; the update also brings changes to File Explorer and Settings, a new Xbox task-view interface, and cloud recovery for PCs that won’t boot. The features are arriving gradually, and turning on “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” may bring them sooner.