Windows 11 Build 26220.9757 Brings Customizable File Explorer Right-Click Menus

What's in Build 26220.9757​

Neowin reports that Microsoft released two Beta Channel builds at the same time. On version 25H2, build 26220.9757 brings an improved File Explorer context menu and a faster Settings app. The other build is for a different platform: on version 26H1, build 28020.3292 brings Unicode improvements, and Microsoft confirms Recall can be missing on Copilot+ PCs. If your Beta Channel PC shows a 28020-series build, it is on a separate track, and the notes below don't apply to it.

The 26220.9757 update has two main changes:

• A redesigned File Explorer context menu with a new Settings page for choosing what appears in it.
• Performance work on the Settings home page. Microsoft says this cuts loading times in certain scenarios.

Build 26220.9757 is based on Windows 11 version 25H2 and is delivered through an enablement package. That makes it the closest Insider track to the Windows most people run today.

The context menu: shorter, and now adjustable​

Microsoft's changelog, as Neowin reproduces it, describes an updated context menu experience in File Explorer, designed to feel faster, cleaner, and easier to tailor to the way you work. According to the same notes, the new design reduces top-level clutter, keeps commonly used actions easy to access, and adds a new Settings experience that gives you more control over what appears in the menu.

The company frames this as ongoing work. As it refines the experience with Insider feedback, its goal is to make right-click feel more responsive, predictable, and personal. Those are Microsoft's goals, not measured results. The Beta release notes don't list which commands moved or were removed, and they don't spell out the customization controls.

Microsoft also says some Insiders may see a teaching tip the first time they open the new menu, explaining the customization options. Feedback goes through Feedback Hub: press Win + F, then go to Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer.

How it's likely to work, based on other channels​

The Beta notes are short, but this menu has already been tested in other channels. BleepingComputer covered Microsoft's first announcement in August. It reported that at the bottom of the new right-click menu, Microsoft added a "Customize menu" shortcut to the Settings page, where users can tweak the context menu to suit their preferences.

Eleven Forum has documented the feature as it appears in Windows 11 build 26340.9212 (Experimental 26H2), build 26200.9807 (RP 25H2) and related builds. Its walkthrough describes two entry points:

• Right click on something on your desktop or in File Explorer, and click/tap on Customize menu.
• Or open Settings (Win+I), click/tap on Personalization in the left pane, and click/tap on Context menu.

From there, under File actions, you turn on or off the context menu options you want. The guide adds that available context menu options depend on the selected file type, and only relevant items will be displayed in the context menu. Third-party shell extensions get their own section: App actions covers app extensibility, so you can choose which app extensions appear in the main menu or submenu, including hiding the submenu altogether.

A caveat: those steps come from builds in other channels. Microsoft's Beta notes for 26220.9757 don't confirm the same menu labels. The Beta version will probably look very similar, but if your menus are named differently, trust what's on your screen.

Microsoft is rolling the menu out gradually, so having the build doesn't guarantee you have the feature yet. Eleven Forum notes that people who don't have it in the builds it covers can force it on with ViVeTool: vivetool.exe /enable /id:60813048. That ID was documented for those other builds, and Microsoft hasn't endorsed it for Beta. Forcing hidden features on is at your own risk, and it can affect any feedback you file about them.

Section summary: The Beta Channel now has the cleaner context menu and its Settings page. Microsoft hasn't published the exact controls for this build, but Experimental and Release Preview builds point to a Personalization > Context menu page with per-file-type toggles and controls for app extensions.

Why this matters​

The Windows 11 context menu has frustrated people since launch. The compact menu made legacy commands harder to reach, and Microsoft's own Q&A forum has long hosted workarounds. One explains that you can display the legacy right-click context menu by clicking "Show more options" at the end of the list or pressing Shift+F10. Others use a registry tweak to make the old menu the default. A user in that same thread said this method of returning the classic context menu has been deprecated in 24H2. So, for a while, Windows 11 users have had a menu they couldn't easily change and no reliable way back to the old one.

Microsoft's first fix was to tidy up. In build 26220.7271 last year, it said it moved Compress to ZIP file, Copy as Path, Set as Desktop Background, Rotate Right, and Rotate Left into a new Manage file flyout. Windows Latest tested that build and found that the menu now takes around 50% of the vertical screen space, which is better than before, but could be better.

The new release goes further than moving items into submenus. Users can choose what stays on the menu. That should matter most in two cases:

• Power users with lots of shell extensions. Archivers, cloud sync clients, Git tools, and media players all add their own entries. A per-extension toggle could make the menu usable again without uninstalling anything.
• Help desks and IT pros. One list of commands that adapts to the file type is easier to explain to users than "click Show more options, then look for it there."

It's fair to be skeptical, though. Every item Microsoft hides by default is one fewer that a casual user will ever find. And the release notes say nothing yet about whether administrators can manage these settings at scale through policy. Until Microsoft says otherwise, assume these are per-user preferences.

Settings home page: faster, in some cases​

The second change is smaller. Microsoft says Build 26220.9757 includes performance improvements for the Settings home page that should reduce loading times in certain scenarios. The company didn't share benchmarks, name the scenarios, or say which hardware benefits. Treat it as a fix that may help, not a measured speed-up. It also applies only to the home page, not to every page in Settings.

It fits a pattern, though. Microsoft has been working on responsiveness across the shell for a while. BleepingComputer noted that the context menu changes follow a broader effort to improve Windows Explorer speed and performance for Windows 11 users. Separately, Microsoft began testing a feature in November designed to preload File Explorer in the background to improve launch times and performance.

When will regular Windows 11 users get this?​

Microsoft hasn't given a date. This is a Beta Channel preview, and Microsoft's standard warning applies: features in Insider builds can change, be removed, or never ship beyond testing. It also cautions that features still in development may not be fully translated yet and that localization will be finished over time.

There is one good sign. Eleven Forum lists the customizable menu in a 25H2 Release Preview build, which usually means a feature is getting close to shipping. That's a reasonable inference, not a promise.

Practical takeaways for Beta Channel Insiders:

• Check that you're on 26220.9757, the 25H2-based build, and not the 26H1 track.
• If the new menu hasn't appeared, wait. It's rolling out gradually.
• Look for the teaching tip or a Customize menu entry when you right-click.
• If a command you rely on has gone missing, check the customization settings before deciding it was removed.
• File feedback under Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer. Microsoft has said Insider feedback will shape the final design.

The bottom line​

Build 26220.9757 is a small update. If the menu turns out the way the other channels suggest, Windows 11 users will finally have a supported, built-in way to decide what appears when they right-click, instead of relying on registry hacks. The Settings speed-up is a nice extra, but Microsoft hasn't put numbers on it. The test now is whether the customization stays flexible all the way to the stable release.

Update: Additional details (October 24, 2026)​

TechPowerUp reports that Microsoft’s customization controls extend beyond third-party shell extensions. Built-in commands including Send to, Create shortcut, and Print can be individually added or removed. Users can also choose whether Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete, and Share appear as labeled text commands rather than the compact icon row.

The settings reportedly also let users place app extensions directly in the primary context menu, keep them in a submenu, or hide them entirely. Properties can be moved to the bottom of the menu. As with the broader redesign, Microsoft may still alter these controls based on Insider feedback.

Update: Beta menu test reveals additional controls (October 27, 2026)​

ZDNET reports that it tried the customizable right-click menu in the latest Windows 11 Beta preview and found controls under Settings > Personalization > Context menu. That provides firsthand support for the expected settings layout, though ZDNET does not identify the exact build it tested.

According to ZDNET, additional options let users put cloud-storage actions in their own section, choose whether the Customize menu command appears, and display a Show more options command for accessing the older-style menu.

ZDNET also reports that users can choose which apps appear in the main menu or a submenu. The available choices include Microsoft apps and installed third-party apps, potentially giving users more control over clutter without removing software.

The outlet suggests the feature could reach regular Windows 11 users before the end of the year, but that is speculation, not a Microsoft release commitment.

Update: Customizable context menu starts rolling out beyond Insider builds (October 28, 2026)​

Microsoft’s October 28 release notes confirm that the redesigned context menu is now reaching regular Windows 11 users through KB5127936, an optional non-security preview update for versions 25H2 and 26H2. This supersedes the earlier uncertainty about a public release: users no longer need an Insider build to receive it, although availability remains phased.

Microsoft lists the context menu under gradual rollout, so installing KB5127936 does not guarantee that the new interface will appear immediately. Once enabled, the Customize menu entry opens the supported settings page. Microsoft also confirms that no configuration changes are required for users who prefer the default layout.

According to Windows Central, enabling “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” in Windows Update can help users receive the changes sooner, but it does not bypass the rollout. For users and help desks, the important distinction is between having the update installed and having the feature activated: an unchanged right-click menu after installation is not, by itself, evidence that the update failed.