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
    2023-07-05T19:45:08+00:00

    "something like "Compress to zip" or "Copy path" in the primary options!?"

    Times I've used compress to zip, copy path: zero, never, nada

    Times I've used print: countless.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-07-05T19:42:26+00:00

    I'm glad I'm not the only one that found this annoying. I upgraded to 11 finally and went to do my normal routine and took me a few minutes just to find the paste icon. My brain was registering it as the window/menu title thingy. I tried to cut/paste my file again thinking I missed the cut part.

    I realize it's a minor change but really? after decades? ...and the rest of the right-click menu is the same... there was no reason to change it.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-06-29T02:55:56+00:00

    This is the Peter Principle in action.

    What I really don't get is why they don't just build it so that people can simply lay it out however works best for them? They they don't have to think yet still can't get it wrong.

    Explorer++ has been able to do this since, um, arounf 2006 maybe?

    Granted, it's not nearly as pretty, but since it's 2023 and MS is just now choosing to give us a tabbed explorer that has been around for 20+ years.

    I really do have a rocky relationship with MS. They do a lot of fantastic things. Occasionally they even surprise me.

    Then out of nowhere, for no reason that can be discerned, they fly off the reservation and engage in "Nonsense without Purpose". And that requires a lot of work and failt to put any thought into it at all. do things like make yet another file manager that still needs to overwrite and update every single thumbnail each time you open a folder.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-28T20:36:20+00:00

    Such joy to read I am not the only one who gets infuriated by these kind of changes. Why o why did they think "Print" should be under "Show more options" and something like "Compress to zip" or "Copy path" in the primary options!? I would assume printing is chosen more often than something like compress to zip, copy path or add to favorites but even if it is not, why not simply making the primary options list a little longer? It completely baffles me. There must be people working at MS thinking about these things and somehow they concluded this is an improvement worth investing in. Same for moving around all kind of buttons in menu's with each new version so people don't get used to it too much. Thank God they don't make cars or their next model would have the switch for your indicator lights somewhere in the trunk and to turn on your lights you have to go in your settings menu in your navigation system and open the "Change view" menu. It would give some peace of mind if they would explain why because there must be a good and logical reason. Just haven't figured it out yet..

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-06-27T03:07:26+00:00

    Bring the rename function back. This was a HORRIBLE user experience decision.

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