How to Add Windows Tools to Context Menu in Windows 10

You can add Windows Tools to Context Menu in Windows 10, so you will able to open this system folder just with one click. It will appear in the Desktop right-click menu. It can be a nice alternative or addition to its shortcut.

Windows Tools is a new system folder in Windows 10, which is available starting in build 21343. It combines the contents of the Windows Accessories folder with shortcuts from Administrative Tools and Windows System. Besides those, you will find there PowerShell. It looks a bit messy and opens outside the Start menu.

The fact that it opens in its own File Explorer window makes no much sense to open it only from the Start menu. That's how I came to an idea to create a desktop shortcut for it. Using the same trick, we can add it to the Desktop right-click menu.

This post will show you how to add Windows Tools to the context menu of the Windows 10 desktop background. You need to do the following.

Add Windows Tools to Context Menu in Windows 10

1. Download the following ZIP archive.
2. Extract its contents to any folder.
3. Double-click on the Add Windows Tools Context Menu.reg file.
4. Confirm the UAC prompt. You now have the Windows Tools option in the Desktop right-click menu.

You are done.

To later remove the menu entry, use the included Remove Windows Tools Context Menu.reg file. It will delete the option you've added.

How does it work

The context menu invokes the command explorer.exe shell:::{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} our readers already familiar with. It is a shell command which opens the Windows Tools virtual folder.

The above mentioned Registry files add and remove a new subkey for your desktop background which runs that explorer command at your request. Similar to the Desktop shortcut, we use the original Windows Tools icon that can be found in the imageres.dll file. I am using the Position=Bottom argument to display it at the bottom of the menu.

That's it!