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Fix: Slow Desktop Right Click Menu In Windows 10

Last Updated on by 77 Comments

The desktop context menu or popularly known as the desktop right-click menu, which appears when you perform a right-click on an empty spot on the Windows 10 desktop, is useful for quickly accessing Settings and display settings, showing/hiding desktop icons, sorting desktop items, and create a new folder on the desktop.

Ever since the release of Windows 10, several users have been complaining about the slow desktop context menu. According to users who have been experiencing this issue, when you perform a right-click on the empty area of the desktop, the context menu doesn’t appear instantly. The context menu appears slowly after about 4 seconds.

fix to slow desktop context menu in Windows 10 step1

If you’re also experiencing the slow desktop right-click menu issue in Windows 10, you will be happy to know that the problem can be fixed in a few minutes. In most cases, the desktop context menu takes longer than usual time to appear because of the integrated third-party items like Intel graphics card properties and the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Follow the given below directions to remove third-party entries from the desktop context menu and fix the slow desktop right-click issue in Windows 10.

Method 1 of 2

Fix the slow desktop context menu in Windows 10

Step 1: In the Start menu or taskbar search box, type Regedit and then press Enter key to open Registry Editor. If you see the User Account Control dialog, please press the Yes button.

fix to slow desktop context menu in Windows 10 step3

Step 2: Once the Registry Editor is launched, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\ shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

Step 3: Under ContextMenuHandlers, several folders will appear.

fix to slow desktop context menu in Windows 10 step4

Step 4: In order to remove Intel Graphics Properties and Graphics Options entries, you need to delete igfxcui and igfxDTCM folders. To delete a folder, simply right-click on it and then click Delete. Click Yes when you see the confirmation dialog.

fix to slow desktop context menu in Windows 10 step5

Likewise, if your PC has NVIDIA graphics hardware, you will see NvCplDesktopContext under ContextMenuHandlers. Simply right-click on it and then click Delete.

fix to slow desktop right click in Windows 10 step2

You may close the Registry Editor now.

Step 5: The desktop context menu should now appear instantly, without any delay. If not, restart your PC once.

Method 2 of 2

Another way to fix the slow desktop context menu in Windows 10

Those of you who don’t want to play the Registry can use a free utility called ShellExView to remove those entries from the desktop context menu. Here is how to download and use ShellExView on Windows 10.

Step 1: Visit this page and download the latest version of ShellExView. Note that the download link appears toward the end of the page.

Step 2: Extract the zip file and then run the shellexview.exe file by double-clicking on it. Click Yes button when you see the User Account Control prompt.

Step 3: The tool will take a few seconds to scan your PC for context menu entries.

Step 4: Finally, look for the entry named NVIDIA CPL Context Menu Extension, right-click on it, and then click Disable.

fix to slow desktop right click in Windows 10

Likewise, if you have Intel graphics, under Extensions, look for two entries named TheDesktopContextMenu Class and TheDesktopContextMenu Class and disable them by right-clicking on them and then clicking Disable. You might need to restart Windows Explorer once or perform a reboot to see the change.

fix to slow desktop context menu in Windows 10 step6

How to fix the Downloads folder opening slowly in Windows 10 guide might also interest you.

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Comments

  1. Bert says

    A huge thanks to Bob says

    February 11, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    How I fixed my case (laptop HP Pavilion, Intel Core i7 , 8th gen)

    My issue was Pin To Start Screen verb handler, it has been driving me insane for months.

    I am very late to this forum but I Am glad I came across it, again Bob many many thanks.

    Just for the record the actual location is for this culprit is C:\Windows\System32\appresolver.dll

    Although I say that I advise caution for anyone wanting to delete that dll.

    Kind regards all.

    Bert

  4. Terry Watts says

    mmm does not fix it for me
    I did the ShellExView thing and disabled the Microsoft Url Search Hook
    I used regedit and cleared out all bar New, sharing and work folders.
    The C drivve is better, and so is the larger d drive
    But if I keep right clicking in either dive folder with some files in after the first right click subsequent clicks can take around 23 seconds to launch the popup menu
    yes 23 seconds!!
    I have tried windows 11 and the same issue occurs
    all drives are SSD.
    C drive is constantly optimised and it still takes several seconds on occasion, it is
    My D drive I cannot set to constantly optimise for some reason.
    Maybe it is a defrag issue on that drive?
    The C,D and E drives have at least 25% free space
    C: 500 Gb
    D:790 Gb available
    E2 Tb available

    If you can offer any advice – this is getting very frustrating as I am busy developing code here and the issue appears to be getting worse by the day
    thanks!

  8. Thor says

    Thank you! Disabling the NVIDIA CPL Context Menu Extension using the ShellExView program fixed the problem for me :)

  10. Bob says

    How I fixed my case (laptop HP Pavilion, Intel Core i7 , 8th gen).

    The handler connected to Microsoft apk “People” caused 5 -8 sec lag when you open the context menu with right mice button. I used the “ShellExView” to investigate the culprit of this lag. When I click to “Handlers”, no handlers have been highlighted in “ShellExView”. Since this lag was happened recently, I checked the dates of all handlers and regroup them by installation date. The Jan. 13th 2021 (the latest update from Microsoft) was applied to my laptop. I found 10 handlers installed on this date and blocked them. Restarted file explorer and NO LAGS any more !!

    So, I was enabling one by one subsequently until found that handler named ” Pin To Start Screen verb handler” was the only one who caused such crazy lag. Of course, I uninstalled the Apk “People” which was installed with latest windows update. In order to successfully uninstall the People apk, this handler should be enabled and than blocked again after. I did it in order to avoid messing with Registry editor.

    FYI, my older laptop with different Intel processor and Display adapter driver, still do not have the same lag problem. Just in case, I also uninstalled this People apk and blocked the appropriate handler named above.

    Hope this will help in similar situation – at least, it is worth to try. It is obvious that bad handler is not interacting equally bad with different versions of the screen adapters.

  14. Yogesh Jain says

    Thanks it worked. the right click is instantaneous now.
    Although, for those like me, who might be wondering what they are about to delete on some random online advice, that too after allowing admin rights..

    By following these steps, you are not deleting/uninstalling anything. You are just about to remove the registry for the graphics controller to be shown in context menu (right click menu).

    Further, if you are little skeptical, and don’t want to loose access to graphics options, follow the following before deleting:
    First right click on the desktop > Graphics options > Enable to be seen in panel tray.

    That way, you can still perform all the functions from the panel tray (located in the bottom right corner of your pc) even after it is gone from context menu, as the icon will be present in it.

  17. Jerry Ensminger says

    Thank you very much. Worked for me. Enough said, but still wondering what I deleted. Ha. Thanks again.

  18. Bob Nestel says

    To clarify my other comment: The bottom two items do not need to be removed. I put them back in and all the right mouse context menus are still fast.

  19. Bob Nestel says

    The above fix did not work for me but I finally got it. Right click was slow on some items, fast on others. Made table of items. Slow items all had “pin to desktop” in their context menu. Removed from registry and all were fast. Thanks to Shawn Brink:
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen]
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen]
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Microsoft.Website\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen]
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mscfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen]
    Oh yea, I also took out the following two keys first and it may have made some items fast but the above really solved it.
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{a2a9545d-a0c2-42b4-9708-a0b2badd77c8}]
    [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{90AA3A4E-1CBA-4233-B8BB-535773D48449}]

  21. Dave says

    I have NVIDIA graphics hardware and it was driving me nuts trying to figure out why it was taking so long to open when I right-clicked the on the display. Your solution fixed it immediately once I deleted the NvCplDesktopContext under ContextMenuHandlers.

  23. Piotr Biesiada says

    Google Drive was taking much time, removed from the registry and the problem is gone! :)

  25. Nani says

    It worked instantly. But how to access ‘Graphic Properties’, from the start menu?

  33. Andrei says

    Thanks a lot, it worked. I read some of the comments and just added “—-” before the default values, without deleting the folders.

  37. Lukasz says

    This happened after I restored my windows 10 laptop. Following Xian Valencia advice

    “I just deleted the NvCplDesktopContext and now the desktop context menu appears instantly.”

    It worked for me too!

  38. Xian Valencia says

    Man! Thanks for this. In my case, I just deleted the NvCplDesktopContext and now the desktop context menu appears instantly.

  39. fleminglr says

    The problem persists even though the above tips are described. I deleted it directly in Regedit and I used “shexview” too
    I see the reports follow from 2017 to 2018
    Mine is about windows10 1809 in 2019
    My problem is a bit different.
    The context menu is fast but when I want to create a new folder the delay appears …
    Below this submenu of creating folders and shortcuts appear several shortcuts to “all Microsoft applications (excel and access) Imcompatibility?
    I noticed this problem in my system from the sync with the microsoft account during the OS installation.
    Before the synchronization with the Microsoft account, I was installing the original drivers and everything was very fast
    Anyone have a tip?

  40. David Roberts says

    Thanks! I was getting the slow menu item issue on my new Alienware. This fixed it right up.

  41. Riley says

    Method 1 worked like a charm!

    I backed up the files that were to be deleted (just in case) but looks like there was no need for that! Desktop menu works juuuust fine!

    Thanks!

  48. DSpider says

    Didn’t work for me. Still slow right click (i7 4790 with Intel Graphics and Nvidia GTX 1060).

    So, NO THANKS! Even rebooting.

  50. Harish says

    Thanks you for advice its working very well now, no longe problem available. ??
    Best solution!!

  51. Donald MacKenzie says

    Edit, also looks like the nvidia folder can cause this issue, I removed it and the context menu is fast.

  53. Frenaldi says

    thanks a lot.. now my laptop has no delay while right clicking on it.

    THANKS BILL GATES

  54. Ahmad says

    Instead of deleting them double-click on the (Default) value in the right-hand side, and then add some dashes in front of the value to disable it. You should be able to right-click on the desktop and see that the item is removed.

  57. Cyber Criminal says

    Thanks! The first approach via deleting the folders did the trick. The context menu shows immediately, even faster than before :)

  70. Manuel Martín Vivaldi Gallego says

    Worked fine, from 5 seconds to instant menus. Why Intel didn’t fixed it years ago? Why Microsoft allow crap to be added in system menus?

  71. Kid says

    The biggest bang for your buck. No more waiting for 5 seconds for the menu to appear!

  76. chris says

    This is not a fix, you are removing items that are meant to be there. Mine was working fine then one day just started being slow. This doesn’t even work, when you right click once it’s still slow, then for a temporary short time after it speeds up. But if you leave your desktop and come back say 10 minutes later its slow again for the first time then fast after. But that’s no good, I dont need after i need it the first time

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