Solved Block program(s) from re-adding context menu entries?

Many programs add entries to our context menu without giving us a choice. Manually removing them does not work out long-term because an update can re-add them at any moment.

My example here is iDrive. iDrive adds a context menu entry via IDContextMenu.dll. This file is redownloaded every update if it is deleted or disabled.
IDContextMenu.dll adds/modifies this entry in the Registry.


Is there a reliable way to remove it from the context menu and block it from re-adding the entry after update? Many thanks.

@Titanonectes
Here's ten points just for filling out your computer specs.

Probably the easiest thing to do would be to write one big registry patch, for removing all the items from the context menu that you don't want.

The best part is that if you find another program that does that, you can just add it to the registry patch.


There's also this...

Nirsoft has a couple of free tools for managing the context menu.

Look into ShellMenuView and ShellExView

I have never seen anything that blocks a context menu entry on install.

I add 'unwelcomed' ones to Favorites...

This should do what you want:

"If at first you can't fix it, be devious!"

Is there a reliable way to remove it from the context menu and block it from re-adding the entry

Click to expand...

I would have thought that if you 'hide' the entry using e.g. Shellexview (free, mentioned above, tick box) then that entry will not be shown again. Similarly and more completely, Autoruns (free from MS).

I've never actually specifically checked to see if any I've hidden that way reappear after updating a program.

Titanonectes said:

Manually removing them does not work out long-term because an update can re-add them at any moment.

Click to expand...

Well, you would expect an update or reinstall/repair to do that.

So you need to block the shell extension from loading by another method. This is what ShellExView mentioned above does. It adds the CLSID to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked registry key. It's unlikely that the installer will clear that entry.
You can do this directly with regedit if you wish. Create a string value named for the CLSID, and set it to anything you like, blank is fine, but you might find it helpful to use "iDrive context menu". You can also use the equivalent key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Thanks everyone for chiming in!

Nirsoft tools seem like the way to go. I have already used his FileTypesManager anyway and the tool takes <1MB of storage.

Ghot said:

Here's ten points just for filling out your computer specs.

Click to expand...

I'm no programmer, so I just figured that is the fastest way to make troubleshooting less time-consuming.

Another item in the same umbrella of "annoying context menu entries". This time it's PowerToys.


More than one of their tools would add duplicate context menu entries to anyone using legacy context menu. It's an ongoing, multiyear issue that they still haven't fixed.

I have a powershell script to delete it, however it looks like they created a new registry folder the context menu for every new patch? ShellExView cannot detect PowerToys' injected context menu entries either. I do use the tool, just don't want to have duplicate items in my bloating context menu. Is this a lost cause?

Hi,
1. See my post above mentioning Autoruns.



Shellexview does NOT show all context menu entries.


2. You have this option in Powertoys:


So you seem to have 2 options....

dalchina said:

Hi,
1. See my post above mentioning Autoruns.

Shellexview does NOT show all context menu entries.


2. You have this option in Powertoys:

So you seem to have 2 options....

Click to expand...

The duplicate entries are in extended menu, so it has nothing to do with that setting. The bug has been well-documented and well-reported since 2022.

I will take a look at Autoruns.

Since adding options to the context menu requires admin permissions (for writing to HKLM), you can block the recreation by NOT elevating the program in question. This effectively prevents modifications that add the library back after you delete it. That won't prevent adding to the per-user context menu entries, but that registry keys are much less known and programs often ignores them.

Of course, programs updates often require admin rights which once again allows it. Not updating until it's absolute imperative it's a good way to prevent this, but won't work forever.

Adding an explicit deny permission entry to the appropriate registry keys can work if the program doesn't modifies that too, thus giving the admin user an access denied. As long as the installer doesn't attempts to bypass that it could work.

Another option, if you have the Pro edition of Windows 11 is to use AppLocker to block the loaded dll. As long as further upates place the library in the same place you can block its loading by its path, preventing Windows Explorer from loading it. I haven't tested this particular AppLocker usage but it could work. It has a system-wide performance impact, however.

I'm not aware of any other method that effectively prevents this, other than waiting for readdition and delete afterwards.

Titanonectes said:

The duplicate entries are in extended menu, so it has nothing to do with that setting. The bug has been well-documented and well-reported since 2022.

I will take a look at Autoruns.

Click to expand...

- and thank you for taking the trouble to reply. Well documented? So you say.. no evidence.

I took the time and trouble to provide screenshots for you.

Which 'bug'? Context menu entries being reported?

If you don't want to see the option in your normal context menu (which is what I had assumed) the extended context menu option does that for you. Why is that not good enough for you?