Add Task View Context Menu in Windows 10

Windows 10 comes with a brand new feature - virtual desktops. For users of Mac OS X or Linux, this feature is not spectacular or exciting, but for casual PC users who have used Windows only since eternity, it is a step forward. The ability to have multiple desktops exists in Windows since Windows 2000 at the API level. Several third party apps have used those APIs to provide virtual desktops, but Windows 10 has made this feature available out-of-the-box in a useful way.  To manage virtual desktops, Windows 10 offers the Task View feature.

Windows 10 provides a number of ways to access the Task View feature.  Task View appears as a button on the taskbar. When you click it, it opens a full screen pane which combines windows you've opened on every virtual desktop. It allows creating new virtual desktops, re-arranging windows between them, and removing virtual desktops. Also, it has close integration with Timeline in recent versions of the OS.

The keyboard shortcuts is another more effective and productive alternative to the mouse.

In addition to them, you can add a special context menu command to your folders. After that, you will able to open Task View quickly from the directory background context menu of any folder in File Explorer, including your Desktop.

If you find this idea interesting, follow the steps below.

To add the Task View context menu in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Download these Registry files: Download Registry Files.
2. Unblock the downloaded files if required.
3. Extract them to any folder you want, e.g. you can put them on your Desktop.
4. Double-click on the file Add Task View context menu.reg to import the tweak.
5. Confirm the UAC prompt and you are done.

The undo tweak is also included. It is called Remove Task View context menu.reg. Double-click it to get rid of the Task View context menu entry.

How it works

The Registry files will create the following subkey:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\TaskView

See how to go to a Registry key with one click.

The command subkey of this key will use the following command:

explorer shell:::{3080F90E-D7AD-11D9-BD98-0000947B0257}

See the following screenshot:

The command above is a special shell: command which allows opening various Control Panel applets and system folders directly. To learn more about shell: commands available in Windows 10, refer to the following article:

The list of shell commands in Windows 10

That's it.

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