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
    2024-11-09T17:34:52+00:00

    This is easily the most infuriating thing in Windows

    30 years of right click Copy/Paste ..which intern that had only ever used a Mac decided this was a good idea

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-12-13T19:47:27+00:00

    Agreed. And as somebody that READS the word much faster than my brain can comprehend the random little icon/symbol that they use, it frustrates me to no end that I have to read the hieroglyphics now instead of just clicking the worde "paste".

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-01-23T06:38:19+00:00

    Two mouse clicks to call up the rename file option? Are you kidding me? Why? I'm still on Windows 10 but got the "upgraded" file manager anyway. This is an unbelievably stupid and unnecessary change at a time when Microsoft is begging us to upgrade to Windows 11. Seems that every other Windows upgrade, Microsoft loses its way. Windows XP-great. Windows Vista - sucks. Windows 7-great. Windows 8 - sucks. Windows 10 - great. Windows 11, verdict is out but it doesn't seem promising.

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-02-11T17:19:17+00:00

    Thank you Microsoft for assuming you know more than I do about the use of file explorer and what I would like to see...pictures instead of words. ugh

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  5. Anonymous
    2025-02-11T17:40:19+00:00

    The problem with re-learning the menu is that companies always change the design eventually. Either the icon changes or the placement of the icon(s) change. When you have text, it's always the same text (per language)....reliable through all formatting of everything else. Some things are better left unchanged, especially when nearly no people are complaining. It's almost like a few will argue with the majority because of a single instance use case scenario.

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