How to Fix Slow Right-Click Menu in Windows 10
FOKUS NEWS - The right-click menu is one of the most useful features in Windows 10. With the right-click menu, you can access various options and commands related to the file, folder, application, or workspace that you click. However, sometimes the right-click menu can be slow to appear or even not appear at all. This can be very annoying and reduce your productivity.
There are several possible causes of the slow right-click menu in Windows 10, such as outdated graphics drivers, excessive startup programs, corrupted context menu entries, problematic Windows customization software, or registry errors. To fix this problem, you can try some of the following solutions:
Update Your Graphics Drivers
Graphics drivers are software that control how your graphics card interacts with your operating system. Outdated or incompatible graphics drivers can cause various problems, including the slow right-click menu in Windows 10. This is because some of the options in the right-click menu are related to graphics, such as screen resolution, rotation mode, or color settings.
To update your graphics drivers, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and search for device manager. Select Device Manager.
- In Device Manager, expand Display adapters > Your adapter. Right-click and select Update driver. In this example, the adapter is Intel HD Graphics 530.
- In the window that opens, select Search automatically for updated driver software. This will start searching for the latest driver.
- If it finds the latest driver, make sure the driver is compatible with your device and update the driver.
- If it does not find the latest driver, select Search for updated drivers on Windows Update. Windows Update may show that you are already up to date. Ignore that. Select Check for updates. This will start searching for updates.
- If Windows Update finds an update for your driver, it will start installing it. Note that the image above shows that you are already up to date. Note that the image below shows the update in progress. Never trust Windows Update to be up to date.
- If Windows Update does not find an update for your driver, look on the manufacturer’s website. In this example, there is a much newer driver than the one installed. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the latest driver.
Perform a Clean Boot
A clean boot is a process of starting Windows with a minimal number of startup programs. Startup programs are programs that run automatically when you turn on your computer. Some startup programs may be useful, but too many startup programs can slow down your computer’s performance, including the right-click menu.
To perform a clean boot, you can follow these steps:
- Open Task Manager using the shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + Escape. Go to the Startup tab and right-click on the first enabled item. Select Disable.
- Repeat the previous step for all the enabled items in the Startup tab.
- Restart your computer normally and check the right-click menu. If it is still slow, proceed to the next solution.
Remove Items from the Context Menu
The context menu is another name for the right-click menu. The context menu can contain various items that are added by the programs that you install on your computer. Some items may be useful, but too many items can slow down the context menu, especially if the items are problematic or corrupted.
To remove items from the context menu, you can follow these steps:
- Download Autoruns. Run as administrator > after it loads, go to Options > check the options Hide Microsoft Entries and Hide Windows Entries > go to the Explorer tab.
- Look under the different lines for HKLM\ …\ContextMenuHandlers. You need to uncheck them one by one and test each time by right-clicking until the slow behavior disappears. After that, you can leave the problematic context menu item unchecked, delete it, or uninstall the program associated with it.
Remove Windows Customization Software
Windows customization software are programs that allow you to change the look and feel of Windows according to your preferences. Some examples of Windows customization software are Rainmeter, Classic Shell, Stardock, etc. Although these software can make your Windows more attractive, they can also cause conflicts with your operating system, including the slow right-click menu in Windows 10.
To remove Windows customization software, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and search for control panel. Select Control Panel.
- In Control Panel, select Uninstall a program under Programs.
- Look for the Windows customization software that you installed on your computer. Right-click and select Uninstall. Follow the instructions that appear to remove the software.
- Restart your computer and check the right-click menu. If it is still slow, proceed to the next solution.
Edit the Registry
The registry is a database that contains all the settings and options for the Windows operating system. Editing the registry can be an effective way to fix various problems, including the slow right-click menu in Windows 10. However, editing the registry can also be risky, as accidental errors can cause more serious system damage. Therefore, you should be careful and make a backup of the registry before making any changes.
To edit the registry, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and search for regedit. Select Registry Editor.
- In Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers.
- On the right side of the window, you will see several sub-keys that represent different context menu items. Right-click on the sub-key that you suspect is causing the problem and select Rename. Add a minus sign (-) in front of the sub-key name to disable it. For example, if you want to disable the NVIDIA context menu item, rename it to -NvCplDesktopContext.
- Repeat the previous step for all the sub-keys that you suspect are causing the problem. When you are done, close Registry Editor and restart your computer. Check the right-click menu and see if the problem is solved. If yes, you can delete the disabled sub-keys. If not, you can restore the sub-key names to their original by removing the minus sign (-).
That is the article that I rewrote for you about how to fix the slow right-click menu in Windows 10. I hope this article is useful and can help you fix your problem. If you have any questions or feedback