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
    2024-02-17T23:04:05+00:00

    Whooops - my fault. I left the braces (curly brackets) off the key. Works great now. The context menu is indeed quite long but it's all text, no icons, so I am MUCH happier. There's a nice explanation of why they did it, it makes sense, what doesn't make sense is using unlabelled icons. I recognized the trash can as Delete, but not the others. I am 82 years old, eyesight (with glasses) good, but memory getting bad. I do NOT need to learn a new way to do something I've been doing for about 30 years.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-02-23T13:18:55+00:00

    I seem to have initiated this topic.

    I'm not sure how far you have got on resolving issues with right-mouse click in Explorer, but Microsoft have made it possibly for Windows 11 users to have the old response to a right mouse click. You can do that by following 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

    and then scrolling down to the section headed Restore the old Context Menu in Windows 11.

    I see that you are aged 82. I'm 85! I very much support your observation "I do NOT need to learn a new way to do something that I've been doing for about 30 years". There's a pretty good chance that the software engineer who designed the change wasn't even alive 30 years ago.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-02-23T23:00:26+00:00

    Also, icons go out of date a LOT faster than words. Can anyone who buys their first computer today know where the Save icon comes from? It's been a long time since floppy discs were replaced by flash drives.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-02-24T04:45:00+00:00

    It's no good - you can't legislate common sense or intelligence. Microsoft techs have lost the plot and they know it, but it keeps their jobs going if they can invent problems and then suggest the wrong way to solve them. :(

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-02-28T14:21:04+00:00

    yes it is so stupid, every time you have an update they change things for the worst thinking it is a the best. Same thing with the search bar now it is in the middle, **** (this can be fix in the setting). Those genius are not. but more likely morons.

    but this morons thinking, can be fix buy adding some key in the registry. here the link. make sure you follow well since you don't want to messed up the registry. I will advice to read the article first and reread by following the steps. I did it and now I can right click hand have all the copy past ...

    https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-context-menu-fix-right-click/

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