Add Bash Context Menu in Windows 10

Windows 10 version 1607 "Anniversary Update" comes with a new feature called "Bash on Ubuntu". It provides the Linux command line shell "bash" for Windows via a native implementation which runs faster than a virtual machine with Linux installed. It allows running console Linux apps too. If you use it frequently, you might find it useful to have a special context menu command "Open Bash Here" that opens the Bash console in the desired folder with one click. Here is how you can add it.

In this article I assume that you have Bash on Ubuntu installed and configured in Windows 10. If not, ensure that you are running Windows 10 version 1607 and first install Bash. See these articles for reference:

• How to find the Windows 10 build number you are running
• How to enable Ubuntu Bash in Windows 10

Once configured, you can apply a Registry tweak as mentioned below.

To add Bash Context Menu in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Go to the following Registry key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory

   Tip: see How to jump to the desired registry key with one click

3. Create a new subkey here called "shell":
4. Under shell, create a new subkey. Give it some recognizable name like "openbashhere":
5. Set the value data of the default (unnamed) value under the "openbashhere" subkey to "Open Bash here":
6. Under the "openbashhere" subkey, create a new value of type "Expandable String Value" and name it as "Icon":
7. Set its value data to:

   %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\lxss\bash.ico

   See this screenshot:

8. Again, under the "openbashhere" key, create a new subkey called "command":
9. Set the value data of the default (unnamed) value of the "command" subkey to:

   cmd.exe /c cd /d "%V" && bash.exe

    

   
   You just added Bash to the context menu of folders:

10. Now, repeat the steps above under the key:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\Background

    This will add the Open Bash here command to the Directory background context menu:

11. Additionally, you can create a similar Registry structure under the key

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\DesktopBackground

    To get

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\DesktopBackground\shell\openbashhere\command

    Create appropriate values and their data. This will add the Open Bash here command to the context menu of the Desktop context menu.
    

12. Finally, you can create the appropriate keys and values under the following key:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\Drive\shell\openbashhere

    This will add the Bash command to the drive context menu:
    

For those who want to avoid Registry editing, a ready-to-use tweak and an undo file are available for download here:

Download Registry Files

To save your time, use Winaero Tweaker. It has the appropriate option under Context Menu:You can get the app here: Download Winaero Tweaker.

Watch the following video to see this tweak in action:

Tip: you can subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE.

That's it. If you have suggestions or questions - welcome to comments.