Windows 11’s Context Menus Are About to Get Less Cluttered

If you’re also tired of the messy right-click menus in Windows 11, Microsoft seems ready to finally fix it. During its latest WinUI Community Call, the company discussed plans to adopt a new split-view context menu (via Neowin). And from the looks of it, it’ll be cleaner and offer smarter way for apps to organize multiple actions.

Microsoft says that it will achieve this by allowing developers group related items into submenus. As of now, every item gets stuffed into one long list. To give you an example, think of photo editing options appearing under a single “Photos” section, rather than spreading across the entire menu.

No wonder, it’s a small change, but it could make a big difference in keeping Windows 11’s interface snappy and less overwhelming for users. The updated context menu design, previewed by Microsoft, shows how much cleaner things could get.

By reducing the number of immediate options, the right-click menu won’t just look better, but also perform faster. That indeed will be a game changer on slower systems where bulky menus tend to lag.

Microsoft says that the improved context menus will debut in the upcoming Windows App SDK 2.0 experimental release (exp3), giving access to developers to first adopt it. At this point, there’s no information on when regular users will see the updated context menus in Windows 11.

But one thing is sure, while it isn’t biggest of upgrades, those living inside context menus daily will certainly take it as one of the most welcome usability upgrades yet.

Rishaj Upadhyay

News Editor

Rishaj is a tech writer who has been writing professionally for over four years, with a passion for Android, Windows, and all things tech. He initially joined Windows Report as a tech journalist and is now taking over as a news editor. When he’s not breaking the keyboard, you can find him cooking, or listening to music/podcasts.