Context Menu Editor

A Windows application for managing context menu items.

Installation

1. Download the latest release ZIP file
2. Extract all files to a folder of your choice
3. Right-click ContextMenuEditor.exe and select "Run as administrator"

Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10/11 (build 17763 or later)
• Privileges: Administrator rights (required for registry access)
• .NET Runtime: Included in the package (self-contained deployment)

Features

Core Functionality

• View Context Menus: Displays all context menu items for files, directories, and drives
• Enable/Disable: Toggle context menu items on/off without deleting them
• Delete: Permanently remove unwanted context menu entries
• Backup: Export registry entries to .REG file for easy restoration
• Smart Filtering: Automatically filters out Windows system programs
• Deduplication: Shows one entry per program while managing all registry locations

User Interface

• Dark/Light Theme: Toggle between themes with Windows title bar integration
• Single Unified View: All context menu types in one sortable grid
• Visual Feedback: Disabled items shown in gray italic text
• Column Management: Auto-sizing and flexible column widths

Screenshots

Context Menus Management

View and manage all Windows context menu items in a unified interface

Startup Programs Management

Control which programs run at Windows startup

Usage

Enable/Disable Context Menu Items

1. Select an item from the list
2. Click the Disable button to hide it from context menus
3. Click Enable to restore it

Delete Context Menu Items

1. Select one or more items
2. Click the Delete button
3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog

Backup Registry Entries

1. Click Backup Registry Entries
2. Choose a location to save the .REG file
3. Double-click the .REG file to restore entries if needed

Switch Themes

• Click the theme button (🌙 Light/Dark) in the top-right corner

Important Notes

⚠️ Administrator Privileges Required: This application requires administrator rights to modify Windows registry entries. You will see a UAC (User Account Control) prompt when launching the app.

⚠️ Registry Modifications: This application modifies the Windows registry. Always create a backup before making changes.

⚠️ System Stability: The application filters out built-in Windows context menu items to prevent accidental system changes.

Troubleshooting

Application won't start

• Ensure you're running Windows 10 build 17763 or later
• Make sure you're running the application as administrator

Changes don't appear in context menus

• Try logging off and back on
• Some applications may cache context menu entries

"Access Denied" errors

• Ensure the application is running with administrator privileges
• Some registry keys may be protected by Windows

Technical Details

• Framework: .NET 8 Windows WPF
• Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) pattern
• Registry Access: Uses Microsoft.Win32.Registry with proper error handling
• Theme System: Custom theme manager with Windows DWM integration
• Resource Resolution: P/Invoke for resolving DLL resource strings

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 HomeChicken Software

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, please visit the project repository on GitHub.