How to Restore the Old (Classic) Context Menu in Windows 11

Updated 2026-10-20 · by MenuTrim

To restore the old right-click menu in Windows 11, create the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32 with an empty (Default) value, then restart Windows Explorer. Windows 11 will then show the full, classic context menu on your first right-click instead of the compressed "Show more options" menu.

One-click alternative: MenuTrim has a Restore classic menu toggle in its settings. Flip it once and restart Explorer — no registry editing required.

Method 1: Restore it with MenuTrim (recommended)

  1. Download MenuTrim and run MenuTrim.exe.
  2. Open Settings inside the app.
  3. Turn on Restore classic context menu.
  4. Click Restart Explorer when prompted. Your right-click now opens the full menu.

Method 2: Restore it with the Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID.
  3. Right-click CLSID and choose New → Key. Name it exactly: 
    {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}
  4. Right-click that new key and choose New → Key. Name it InprocServer32.
  5. Select InprocServer32. Double-click (Default) on the right and leave the value empty (press Backspace if anything is there), then click OK.
  6. Restart Explorer: press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find Windows Explorer, right-click it and choose Restart — or sign out and back in.

Method 3: Restore it from the command line

Open Command Prompt as administrator and paste this line, then press Enter:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve

Then restart Explorer with:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer.exe

How to go back to the new Windows 11 menu

To undo this and restore the default Windows 11 menu, delete the key you created and restart Explorer. From an administrator Command Prompt: 

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}" /f
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer.exe

In MenuTrim, simply turn the Restore classic context menu toggle back off.

Related guides

Restoring the classic context menu — FAQ

Will restoring the classic menu remove the new Windows 11 design?

No. It only changes the right-click menu to the full Windows 10-style menu. The rest of Windows 11 looks and behaves exactly the same, and you can switch back at any time.

Does the classic menu survive Windows updates?

Usually yes, but a major feature update can occasionally reset it. If the new menu comes back, simply re-apply the same toggle or registry key — it takes seconds.

Is the registry method reversible?

Yes. Delete the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2} and restart Explorer to return to the default Windows 11 menu.