New Context Menu - Remove & Restore Default Menu Items

How to Remove and Restore the Default "New" Context Menu Items in Windows 7 and Windows 8​

   Information

This will show you how to either remove or restore the default New context menu items in Windows 7 and Windows 8. 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: "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: "New" Context Menu in Ribbon
NOTE: This is only available in the Home tab in the Windows 8 File Explorer Ribbon.

EXAMPLE: "New" Context Menu in Root Directory
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: "New" Context Menu in Libraries
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/tap on the download button below to download the file below.
Bitmap_image_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

Download


2. To Remove or Restore "Briefcase"
NOTE: This item is not in the "New" context menu in Windows 8 by default, but can be added with this step.
A) Click/tap on the download button below to download the below.
Briefcase_New_Context_Menu_Item.zip

Download


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

Download


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

Download


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

Download


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

Download


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

Download


8. To Remove or Restore "Rich Text Document"
A) Click/tap 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

Download


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

Download


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

Download


11. Save the .zip file to the desktop.

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

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

14. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve merging the .reg file.

15. You can now delete the downloaded ZIP and REG files 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

---

• How to Edit the Windows 7 Desktop NEW Context Menu
• How to Remove and Restore the Default Windows 7 Send To Context Menu Items
• How to Create a New Library in Windows 7
• How to Restore or Remove "New" from the Context Menu in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Add "New VBScript File" to the Context Menu in Windows
• How to Add "New Batch File" to the Context Menu in Windows
• How to Add "New Registry File" to the Context Menu in Windows
• Restore Default Windows 7 File Extension Type Associations

 

[Brink]

Well, other than a system restore...

You might check the programs' options to see if there's a setting to toggle off and on to add the context menu items back. If not, then either reinstalling the program to act as a repair install of the program, or uninstalling and reinstalling the program should add them back.

 

[tom982]

Thanks Shawn. Well I decided your suggestion was much better than a system restore, so I started off by installing MagicISO again. I got a little distracted and all of a sudden it was 1am, so I hibernated my computer and went to bed. When I turned it on this morning everything was back to normal I don't know what happened, or how it happened, but it did

Tom

 

[Brink]

That's great news Tom. I'm still not sure what may have caused it though since the tut should have only affected the "New" context menu items.

 

[tom982]

Yes it does seem strange. Maybe it was just an incredible coincidence that something else went wrong at the same time then

Tom

 

[Brink]

Maybe.

 

[NicoleUK]

I can only seem to get this to work during safe mode, once back on my admin account when I right click the desktop and go to new, I still only see Folder

 

[Brink]

Hello Nicole,

What happens when you use the REG files in your administrator account?

 

[NicoleUK]

It says successfully added to the registry for them all but still nothing, even after a few attempts and restarts.

 

[Brink]

Hmm, ok. See if downloading and merging the folder, LNK (lnk), bmp, Contact, jnt, rtf, txt, zip, and Briefcase options from the tutorial below may help afterwards. These will restore the default associations for these file types.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html

 

[NicoleUK]

I followed that and merged what you said however contact and jnt wouldn't merge. It hasn't changed the menu items problem though.

 

[Brink]

As a test, create a new administrator account to see how the New context menu works while logged on to it.

If it still does not work, then you could try doing a system restore using a restore point dated before this started to hopefully undo and fix it.

 

[NicoleUK]

The system restore worked, thank you

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Nicole. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[gramps98]

This worked for me!

Thanks Shawn. I dealt with this problem for months. There were work-a-rounds but now resolution.

I had to actually "remove" the default menu first and then "restore" it. That's probably what the instructions said to do in the first place...right?

Thanks again.

Gramps98

 

[Brink]

Hello Gramps, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Im happy to hear that you got it sorted. Normally, you would only need to remove it first if it wasn't working by just adding it.

 

[v1tr4]

My problem solved by changing folder access permission (security) for my user, i set it allow full control and it works.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/122666-permissions-allow-deny-users-groups.html

 

[deveshprabhu]

Hi, this helped a lot. I was able to restore my Notepad link in the context menu.

 

[purplechick7]

Windows 7 Fodlers

This fix for restoring folders worked perfectly! Thank you!

 

[Phobocon]

Thanks a lot Brink! This helped me fix the "can't create new folder" on my father's laptop.

 

[Phobocon]

thanks again