Windows 11’s decluttered right-click menu draws criticism for one big flaw
Updated on September 1st, 2026: Microsoft is finally streamlining the Windows 11 right-click menu with the upcoming 26H2 update in October. However, some Insiders with preview access have criticized Microsoft’s implementation and its limitations.
The main complaint comes from users who have added their own context menu entries via the Windows Registry. Those entries will be shown under the “Show more options” submenu, which must be activated manually in the Settings. In other words, accessing these entries will become more cumbersome than it is now pre-update. (Currently, these custom entries appear as top-level actions in the context menu.)
In short, if you want to benefit from the streamlined context menu design, you essentially have to give up on custom entries and the “Show more options” submenu. It’s unclear whether Microsoft will take this criticism aboard and make changes prior to 26H2’s release.
Original story from November 6th, 2025: The Context Menu in Windows 11 (also known as the right-click menu) is meant to be a convenient shortcut for common actions, making it much easier to do various things via just a few simple clicks. But over time, the Windows 11 Context Menu has grown cluttered and unusable.
Microsoft isn’t just aware of this, but also committed to rectifying it. In a WinUI Community Call video stream that went live yesterday, one section covered improvements to the Context Menu that are currently being explored. The revamp is being called Split Context Menu.
In Microsoft’s own words, the current MenuFlyoutItem control doesn’t allow for split actions, which is why the menu has grown so cluttered over the years. Furthermore, the Windows 11 Context Menu is—despite its name—not truly contextual, meaning it includes way too many items even in contexts where some of those items don’t make sense.
The solution? A new control called SplitMenuFlyoutItem, which will support “context-aware groupings and customizations” that allow the Context Menu to adapt to user selections. WinUI developers will be able to define primary and secondary actions, paving the way for submenus that improve workflows and reduce main menu clutter.
As of now, it’s unclear when the new Split Context Menu will be made available to the public. The API will first need to be developed, then presumably it will need to be tested by Windows Insiders.
Further reading: Why you should become a Windows Insider
