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
    2023-10-03T00:56:19+00:00

    We think it promiscuous interns that are allowed to mess with the recipe. It is wide spread whatever it is.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-09-11T01:19:34+00:00

    I wish there is a way to convert these icons back to words as in the past version of Windows.

    I found these icons not helpful and I have had to guess what each of these new icons mean.

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  3. 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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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-09T06:33:14+00:00

    The copy, paste, rename options MUST be put back.

    This is the most disastrous mistake I have seen Microsoft make for a long time.

    Windows 11 is terrible. Things like this make the system harder and more time consuming to use.

    Why do IT geeks who can't even touch type have power over decisions that affect people who use Windows as a work console.

    Microsoft is just losing touch.

    If I can avoid using Windows 11 until the end of my days I will die happy.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-05-22T19:39:48+00:00

    Ron, Thank you Soooo much for this tip. I've been using Win 11 (arm) (inside parallels on a M.1 MacBook) for maybe a year. Silicon Mac introduces un-expected problems of its own, then all of a sudden Win 11 started this screwed-up right click stuff (except at the time I had no idea what caused it.) It stopped my productivity DEAD because I have several productivity items there from over several years and Win versions.

    So, where did it start?? Could have been the PITA Silicon Mac... or something to do with Parallels... I was Soo relieved when I found your tip. I followed it and it worked perfectly. Got lost a couple of times, but figured it out and succeeded.

    Thanks again.

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