Microsoft Tests New Windows 11 Right-Click Menu After Acknowledging Slow, Cluttered Design

Microsoft issued an official announcement on August 17 acknowledging that the Windows 11 right-click context menu is cluttered and slow to load, and began testing a new version. The update is being rolled out gradually in the the Windows 11 Insider preview build (experimental version 26340.9212, based on 26H2), targeting optimization of the File Explorer context menu. When Microsoft released Windows 11 in 2021, it criticized Windows 10's context menu as overly long and detrimental to performance, but the new system in practice suffered from slow loading of third-party app extensions, causing cursor position shifts and mis-touch problems. This announcement is a formal response to to that design shortcoming.

The new right-click menu has shown faster response times in testing, popping up quickly even on lower-specification computers. The improvement stems from a slimmer menu, with fewer top-level operations by default, reducing the the system's loading burden. A new "Customize menu" option allows users to to independently toggle built-in actions such as "Send To," "Print," "Create Shortcut," and "Copy as Path" through the "Personalization" page in Settings. Third-party app extensions such as Notepad and Paint are no longer forced to appear in the in the main menu; users can choose to to display them directly or tuck them into a submenu.

e Microsoft has also restored some classic Windows 10 layouts. By enabling the the "Inline arrangement of primary actions" option, users can revert commands such as Cut, Copy, and Rename from a horizontal icon arrangement back to the the traditional vertical list style. To To maintain compatibility with legacy software such as as 7-Zip, the "Show more options" entry remains. This context menu optimization is part of Microsoft's broader plan to to improve File Explorer quality. Since acknowledging in March 2026 that Windows 11 File Explorer performance lagged Windows 10, Microsoft has has fixed multiple lag and navigation issues. General users will need to wait until the testing period concludes to receive the update.