Windows 11 File Explorer Right-click Menu was changed to include icons

Anonymous
2021-12-06T15:53:47+00:00

Who did this and why do they do it (see picture below)? The File Explorer right-click menu has had the options: Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete listed (as words) in this menu FOREVER and now some genius decided that after all these years, Windows users are too dumb to read. The words were replaced with icons. THIS IS SO ANNOYING. THE MUSCLE MEMORY IN MY HANDS IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO RETRAIN AFTER YEARS OF THE MENU BEING THE SAME WAY. Now I have to stop and think about something that I've done instinctively for years. I can get to the ORIGINAL right-click menu by selecting "Show More Options," shown in the photo below, but WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO, THAT'S AN EXTRA STEP? If I am intelligent enough to boot up a computer, then certainly I can read the words: Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename and Delete. I don't need you to create icons to represent those functions. IF IT'S NOT BROKEN THEN DON'T TRY TO FIX IT. STOP DUMBING DOWN THE SOFTWARE AND MAKING THINGS HARDER PLEASE.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-05-03T21:29:37+00:00

    The most used items have literally been moved from the bottom......to the top. That's all they did, they moved them from the bottom....to the top. You don't even have to click the sub-menu. They literally just moved them CLOSER to your cursor. How are people actually confused by this?

    Because I don't have a fracking Rosetta Stone on my desk to help me figure out which of their idiotic new icons you claim aren't new (insert angry face) I'm supposed to select!

    Exactly. Software developers should NEVER go about changing a 29-year-old UI that EVERYONE is used to without being able to revert back. Teh The Windows User Interface Guidelines were first published in 1995. Why change them? I don't recall hearing anyone complaining that they wanted to have radical change.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-04-10T00:15:30+00:00

    I cannot read this entire thread to learn whether someone found the fix. I just fixed my File Explorer to the tried-and-true legacy format using this link.

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/restore-old-right-click-context-menu-in-windows-11/a62e797c-eaf3-411b-aeec-e460e6e5a82a

    The following is at the link:

    Restore the old Context Menu in Windows 11

    1. Right-click the Start button and choose Windows Terminal.
    2. Copy the command from below, paste it into Windows Terminal Window, and press enter.
      1. reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve
    3. Restart File Explorer or your computer for the changes to take effect.
    4. You would see the Legacy Right Click Context menu by default.

    I opened a DOS window, copy and pasted the reg.exe command, got positive confirmation the change took, rebooted and File Explore was the way it should be. I did not try bouncing file explorer, my PC need a reboot anyway.

    Lee

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-10T13:50:47+00:00

    i agree... many "improvement' changes require more clicking,,,, extra steps... extra work... simple turns into difficult

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-11-26T12:34:44+00:00

    Yes, you can change it. Miscrosoft have provided a registry fix which I posted in this discussion group about 7 to 10 days ago.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-11-06T12:05:33+00:00

    I guess I am this "dumb to read" too because I never noticed the icons. Microsoft needs to do a better job pointing out major changes like this!!!

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