To speed up the response of Windows right-click menus, follow these steps: first check and disable unnecessary shell extensions with ShellExView; secondly, manually delete useless right-click menu items through the registry or tools; then make sure the system and drivers are kept up to date; finally select "Best Performance" in the File Explorer options to improve response speed. These methods can effectively reduce latency and make the right-click menu smoother.

Right-click menus in Windows can sometimes feel sluggish, especially if you've got a lot of programs adding their own entries. It's annoying when you just want to do something quick and end up waiting a second or two for the menu to show up.

Here are a few practical ways to speed things up:

Check for Shell Extensions That Are Slowing Things Down

The right-click menu pulls in options from various shell extensions added by software installed on your system. Some of these can be poorly optimized and cause delays.

• One way to check this is using a tool like ShellExView , which lists all active shell extensions.
• Disable any entries that aren't essential — especially ones from apps you don't use often.
• Be careful not to disable anything related to core Windows functions unless you're sure.

You might notice an improvement after trimming a few unnecessary extensions.

Delete Unused Context Menu Entries Manually

Some programs add context menu items even if you never use them. Removing those manually can reduce clutter and improve performance.

• You can edit the Windows Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers (and similar paths) to remove unwanted entries.
• Alternatively, use a lightweight tool like CCleaner or Context Menu Editor to clean this up without diving into the registry directly.

This won't always make a massive difference, but it helps if you have a lot of bloat from old or unused software.

Keep Your System and Drivers Updated

Sometimes, slow context menus are caused by outdated drivers or unpatched system files.

• Make sure Windows is fully updated.
• Check for updates for your mouse/trackpad drivers — especially if you're using third-party hardware with custom software.
• A fresh install of Windows tends to run snapper, so if things have gotten worse over time, consider cleaning up or resetting your system if other fixes don't help.

Use File Explorer Options to Improve Performance

Windows has built-in settings that prioritize performance over visual effects.

• Go to System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings .
• Choose "Adjust for best performance" — this disables animations and some background processes that might interfere with responsiveness.

It's a small tweak, but every bit helps when trying to eliminate lag.

Basically, the main causes are extra shell extensions and outdated software — once you trim the fat and keep everything updated, right-click should feel much smoother.

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