How quickly your right-click menu appears on desktop icons varies by device and settings.
How quickly your right-click menu appears on desktop icons varies by device and settings.
Right clicking on stuff just has a very slow load. Drives me crazy, slows down my work. Windows 11. I want to say my previous brand new laptops were like this too, perhaps it is just already as fast as it can possible get? I have very little installed on my laptop. I've tried disabling every service, every startup program, all visual enhancement settings, max performance power settings, etc... and still very slow. This is a new laptop too. 2025 Laptop with i7 Lunar Lake 265V, 32GB of ram. Latest windows 11. Im wondering, Perhaps its normal/average? Anyone here with a laptop, and has instant right click on their end? Might just be universal for mobile chips for efficiency reasons. How fast is yours? See Demo here of loading time:
I understand you have a desktop setup, though I’m not sure if every laptop is the same.
Test ShellExView step by step, turning off extensions one at a time. Ensure graphics drivers (Intel, AMD, Nvidia) are fully updated, as the new GPU-accelerated context menu affects performance. If you changed settings through the registry to use classic right-click, it may also cause delays. On similar hardware—i7 processor, 32GB RAM, running Win11—right clicks should work instantly, indicating a possible issue in shell extensions or drivers.
The GPU driver has been fully updated. I used the original right-click menu in Windows 11 for a cleaner look, then switched to the classic version as it was recommended for better performance. Both versions had similar delays. I also tried the ShellExView from another forum suggestion, disabled all Microsoft extensions via Options, and found that the remaining options were in a specific section or filter area within the software.
In ShellExView focus on Context Menu Handlers instead of just Drop/Preview settings. Occasionally hidden entries—such as those from GPU tools, cloud storage clients, or PDF utilities—can lead to delays. Disable each one individually via the right-click disable option and test by logging in and out. If performance stabilizes, you may also review Autoruns Microsoft Sysinternals under Explorer for extensions not visible in ShellExView.
You need to check the advanced settings or help section, as the term isn't listed there. Look for hidden options or contact support for guidance.
In ShellExView navigate to the Options Filter By Extension Type section. From there you can change the view to display Context Menu Handlers. By default it shows a mixed collection, so filtering improves clarity. These items are typically marked as Context Menu in the Type column after applying the filter. Disable only the non-Microsoft extensions by right-clicking and selecting Disable Selected Items, then log off/on or restart Explorer to verify. If suspicious entries persist, use Sysinternals Autoruns Explorer tab, which sometimes lists additional shell extensions that ShellExView misses.