Learn how to show or hide the new ‘Customize menu’ context menu option using Settings and the Registry in Windows 11.
Quick steps: Open “Settings“, go to “Personalization” > “Context menu“, and turn ON or OFF the “Show ‘Customize menu’ on the context menu” toggle.
Windows 11 lets you customize the context menu by adding or removing several different options. In fact, you can even move the top row options and make them look like other options in the context menu. Since these are buried in the Settings app, Microsoft added a new context menu option called ‘Customize menu’ that takes you to the context menu customization screen where you can configure which options to show or hide.
While this is a pretty good option that gives you quick access to the customization screen, if you don’t use it or know how to access the customization page via Settings, the new ‘Customize menu’ option is just noise and increases the menu clutter. Thankfully, Microsoft added the option to enable or disable the ‘Customize menu’ option on the context menu. When disabled, the option will not appear in the context menu.
So, without further ado, let me show you the steps to show or hide the Customize Menu context menu option in Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
Show or Hide ‘Customize Menu’ Option in Context Menu Using Settings
To start off, use the “Windows key + I” to launch Settings. Once it opens, click “Personalization” on the left sidebar and then click the “Context menu” option on the right page.
Now, on the right page, scroll down to the “Additional options” section and then configure the “Show ‘Customize menu’ on the context menu” option as follows:
- Toggle ON the option: Shows the “Customize menu” option on the context menu.
- Toggle OFF the option: Hides the “Customize menu” option on the context menu.
Once configured, you can close Settings. Depending on the toggle position, the option will either appear or not appear.
Show or Hide ‘Customize Menu’ Option in Context Menu Using Registry
Important note: Please back up the registry before following the steps below.
In addition to the Settings app, you can also use the Registry Editor to show or hide the ‘Customize menu’ option on the context menu. Here’s how.
First, press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog. In it, type “regedit“, and click “OK“. This opens the Registry Editor.
In the Registry Editor window, go to the following folder. You can copy, paste, and press Enter to quickly navigate to the folder/key.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ContextMenu\Preferences\
Right-click the “Preferences” folder on the sidebar and select “New“, then “Key“. Name the key “ShowCustomizeMenu“.
Right-click the “ShowCustomizeMenu” folder and select “New“, then “DWORD (32-bit) Value“. Name it “Enabled“.
Double-click the “Enabled” value and set the Value Data as follows, then click “OK” to save the change.
- Set the Value Data to “0“: Hides the “Customize menu” option on the context menu.
- Set the Value Data to “1“: Shows the “Customize menu” option on the context menu.
Close the Settings app and restart your computer. After restarting, depending on how you configured the “Enabled” value, the “Customize menu” option will either appear or not appear on the context menu.
That’s it. Write down any questions or comments you have below. I’ll respond quickly.
Thank you, Vamsi.
