Windows 7 - Explorer - Add "Restart Explorer" to Desktop Context Menu

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to add Restart Explorer to the desktop context menu in Vista or Windows 7. When used by any user, it will automatically kill the explorer.exe process, and restart the explorer.exe process when you are ready to.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

   Note

When you right click on the desktop and click 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 on the command prompt window to make it the active window again, and press any key to restart explorer.

1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.

Add_Restart_Explorer_to_Desktop_Context_Menu.zip

2. Open the downloaded ZIP file, and extract (drag and drop) both the .reg and .bat files to your desktop.

3. Right click on the extracted Restart_Explorer.bat file, click on Properties, click 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 on the extracted and unblocked Restart_Explorer.bat, and click on Copy.

5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to and open the C:\Windows folder. Right click on a empty area in the C:\Window folder, click on Paste, then cick on Continue and Yes (UAC) if prompted. Close the Windows Explorer window.

6. Right click on the extracted .reg file and click on Merge.

7. Click on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7) 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.

1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below, and save it to your desktop.

Remove_Restart_Explorer_to_Desktop_Context_Menu.reg

2. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.

3. Click on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7) 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 on the Restart_Explorer.bat file, click on Delete, and Yes (if prompted).

6. You can now delete the download reg file if you would like to.