Windows 7 - New Context Menu - Remove & Restore Default Menu Items

Brink

How to Remove and Restore the Default Windows 7 "New" Context Menu Items

Information

This will show you how to either remove or restore the default New context menu items in Windows 7. These include the NEW - Folder, Shortcut, Bitmap image, Contact, Journal Document, Rich Text Document, Library, Text Document, Compressed (zipped) Folder, and Briefcase context menu items.

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

Note

You will only have Folder available in the New context menu in the root directory of the C: drive, C:\Windows folder, C:\Program Files folder, C:\Program Files (x86) folder, and C:\Users folder.

EXAMPLE: Default New Context Menu
NOTE: You can only see this New context menu when you right click on a empty space on the desktop or on a empty space in a Windows Explorer window.

EXAMPLE: Root Directory New Context Menu
NOTE: In the C: drive, C:\Program Files, C:\Program Files (x86), and C:\Windows root directory folders and all of their subfolders, you will only have New - Folder available.

EXAMPLE: Libraries New Context Menu
NOTE: In the Libraries folder, you will only have New - Library available. However, in the included folders in a library, you will still have the default New context menu items available.

Here's How:

1. To Remove or Restore "Bitmap image"
A) Click on the download button below to download the file below.
Bitmap_image_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

2. To Remove or Restore "Briefcase"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Briefcase_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

3. To Remove or Restore "Compressed (zipped) Folder"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Compressed_(zipped)_Folder_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

4. To Remove or Restore "Contact"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Contact_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

5. To Remove or Restore "Folder"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Folder_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

6. To Remove or Restore "Journal Document"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Journal_Document_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

7. To Remove or Restore "Library"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Library_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

8. To Remove or Restore "Rich Text Document"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
NOTE: This is for a WordPad .rtf document file. If you have Office Word installed, then it may be set to be the default program instead of WordPad to open RTF files with and would remove Rich Text Document if so, and you may have Microsoft Word Document instead.
Rich_Text_Document_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

9. To Remove or Restore "Shortcut"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Shortcut_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

10. To Remove or Restore "Text Document"
A) Click on the download button below to download the below.
Text_Document_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

11. Click on Save, and save the .zip file to the desktop.

12. Open the downloaded .zip file and extract the .reg file (remove or restore) that you want to use to the desktop.

13. Double click on the extracted .reg file to merge it.

14. When prompted, click on Run, Yes, Yes, and OK to approve merging the .reg file.

15. You can now delete the downloaded ZIP and REG files on the desktop if you like.

16. Sometimes it may take a moment before the missing New context menu item to reappear. If not, then restart the computer to apply.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

maranello · 10-23-2009

hello guys, this is my 1'st post here, but i am following this forum for a while now and i discovered some great things here

this is my issue:
when i open the "New" context menu, instead of "Bitmap Image" i get "dfhfh\" , the icon is still the same but i get this weird text.
I tried removing and restoring the entry but no luck

here's a screen:

Brink · 10-23-2009

Hello Maranello, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You can use the Find and Find Next feature in regedit.exe to search the registry for the dfhfh\ entry. If found, you can right click on the entry for it, click on Modify, and change the name back to Bitmap images.

Only do this if you are confortable in the registry. Be sure to create a restore point first before doing this incase you make a mistake and need to undo it with a system restore.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

maranello · 10-23-2009

hey, thanks alot Brink for your detailed answer

i found 4 entrys in regedit named "Photoshop.BMPFile.11" with the "dfhfh\" value and i changed it to Bitmap Image (just on the 1'st entry) just like you said and everything is back to normal

cheers

Brink · 10-23-2009

You're welcome Maranello. I'm happy to hear that's back to normal now.

satchmo · 10-27-2009

How do I remove the new Office documents (Word, Excel, etc) from the context menu?

Brink · 10-27-2009

Hello Sarchmo,

You can use the free program ShellExView to remove or disable those Context Menu "Types".

Hope this helps,
Shawn

satchmo · 10-27-2009

Thanks, Brink.

Brink · 10-27-2009

You're welcome.

BleepingCrazy · 02-05-2010

Hi Brink,

I've tried your reg file to try and add the Wordpad.rtf file to the context menu but it's not showing up for some reason. I've tried ending all instances of the explorer process and restarting it. but no luck. Any Ideas?

Windows 7 - New Context Menu - Remove & Restore Default Menu Items

New Context Menu - Remove & Restore Default Menu Items

New Context Menu - Remove & Restore Default Menu Items problems?