How to Add "Restart Explorer" to Desktop Context Menu in Windows
Information
This tutorial will show you how to add Restart Explorer to the desktop context menu in Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8. When used by any user, it will automatically kill the explorer.exe process, and restart the explorer.exe process when you are ready to.
While you must be logged in as an administrator to be able to add or remove the context menu, all users will be able to use it.
Note
When you right click or press and hold on the desktop and click/tap on
Restart Explorer, you will see a command prompt window open indicating that it has killed the explorer.exe process, and will wait on you to press a key before restarting the explorer.exe process.
This way you can use this to kill explorer, do what you need to do while it's killed, then click/tap on the command prompt window to make it the active window again, and press any key to restart explorer.
EXAMPLE: "Restart Explorer" added to desktop context menu
OPTION ONE
To Add "Restart Explorer" to Desktop Context Menu
1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.
Add_Restart_Explorer_to_Desktop_Context_Menu.zip
Download
2. Open the downloaded ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) both the .reg and .bat files to your desktop.
3. Right click or press and hold on the extracted
Restart_Explorer.bat file, click/tap on
Properties, click/tap on the
General tab, and
unblock it.
NOTE: If you do not see a Unblock button, then the file is already unblocked.
4. Right click or press and hold on the extracted and unblocked
Restart_Explorer.bat, and click/tap on
Copy.
5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the
C:\Windows folder. Right click or press and hold on a empty area in the
C:\Window folder, click/tap on
Paste, then click/tap on
Continue and
Yes (UAC) if prompted. Close the Windows Explorer window.
6. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
7. Click/tap on
Run,
Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or
Continue (UAC-Vista),
Yes, and
OK when prompted.
8. Restart Explorer has now been added to the desktop context menu.
9. You can delete the download files left on your desktop now if you would like to.
OPTION TWO
To Remove "Restart Explorer" from Desktop Context Menu
NOTE: This is the default setting.
1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.
Remove_Restart_Explorer_to_Desktop_Context_Menu.reg
Download
2. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
3. Click/tap on
Run,
Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or
Continue (UAC-Vista),
Yes, and
OK when prompted.
4. Restart Explorer has now been removed from the desktop context menu.
5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the
C:\Windows folder, right click or press and hold on the
Restart_Explorer.bat file, click/tap on
Delete, and
Yes (if prompted).
6. You can now delete the download reg file if you would like to.
That's it,
Shawn