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ThioJoe/!AddCompressToMenu -- How-To-Use.txt

Last active April 12, 2025 09:25
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Add "Compress To" Option to Old Windows 11 Start Menu - Registry Tweak
Raw
!AddCompressToMenu -- How-To-Use.txt
How To Use:
1. Choose which version you want to use:
- "Full Menu" Version: The same as the original one in the new context menu, and has multiple sub-menu items
- Other Version: Doesn't have a sub-menu, it just directly opens the "Create Archive" menu. (The equivalent of clicking the "Additional Options" sub-item in the original)
2. Double click the "Add_" reg file of whichever version you choose
3. Restart Windows Explorer
- You can restart it by opening Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc, then search it for "Windows Explorer", right click that and hit "Restart"
- You can also just restart the whole computer of course
----------------------------------------------------------
Technical Explanation / Notes For Anyone Curious:
- This won't overwrite any existing registry entries or anything, it only creates a couple new ones
- You could add both versions and they'll both be there. They're independent, so if you add both, you'll need to remove both separately too using theire respective "Remove_" reg files.
- The tweak basically works by copying the registry entries that makes the command appear in the 'new' start menu, and adds them to the old menu as well
- Behind the scenes, the "Create Archive" menu is given the command name "Windows.CompressTo.Wizard" which exists at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.CompressTo.Wizard
- The full "Compress To" menu has the command name "Windows.CompressTo" which exists at: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.CompressTo
Raw
Add_CompressTo_ForOldContextMenu.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\CompressToOldMenuEntry]
"CommandStateSync"=""
"ExplorerCommandHandler"="{812EE37B-5065-4C14-B0D1-A2266454B0C1}"
"MUIVerb"="Compress To..."
"Note"="Copied from original Command Store command: Windows.CompressTo.Wizard"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\CompressToOldMenuEntry]
"CommandStateSync"=""
"ExplorerCommandHandler"="{812EE37B-5065-4C14-B0D1-A2266454B0C1}"
"MUIVerb"="Compress To..."
"Note"="Copied from original Command Store command: Windows.CompressTo.Wizard"
Raw
Add_CompressTo_FullMenu_ForOldContextMenu.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\CompressToFullMenu_ForOldContextMenu]
"CommandStateSync"=""
"ExplorerCommandHandler"="{7AE6900F-6EB0-44A2-9CA1-DB2F7EF352AF}"
"MUIVerb"="@Windows.UI.FileExplorer.dll,-51797"
"Note"="Copied from original Command Store command: Windows.CompressTo"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\CompressToFullMenu_ForOldContextMenu]
"CommandStateSync"=""
"ExplorerCommandHandler"="{7AE6900F-6EB0-44A2-9CA1-DB2F7EF352AF}"
"MUIVerb"="@Windows.UI.FileExplorer.dll,-51797"
"Note"="Copied from original Command Store command: Windows.CompressTo"
Raw
Remove_CompressTo_ForOldContextMenu.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\CompressToOldMenuEntry]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\CompressToOldMenuEntry]
Raw
Remove_CompressTo_FullMenu_ForOldContextMenu.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\CompressToFullMenu_ForOldContextMenu]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\CompressToFullMenu_ForOldContextMenu]
@lajawi
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lajawi commented Oct 21, 2024

I didn't even have to restart the explorer for the changes to take effect!

@sniperkitten
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Brilliant, thank you!

@tagemaker151
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love it thanks bro

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