Enforce start context menu instead of standard start menu


asteski

New member
Local time
2:02 PM
Posts
18
OS
Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
Hello,

I recently switched to using PowerToys Run, which made start menu obsolete for me. Is there a possibility to swap start menu with its context menu? I've tried using keyboard manager from PowerToys by swapping Win key with Win + X, but it's quite clunky and impacts interaction with other keybindings, which include win key. Besides that, is ther ea way to actually modify options that are part of this context menu?

BTW I'm using Windows 11 with StartAllBack, enforcing Windows 10 taskbar, but I guess it doesn't matter as much in terms of abovementioned.
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod in beta)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Probook G9 450
    CPU
    i7-1255U
    Memory
    32 GB (DDR4, 3200 MHz)
    Other Info
    I loved modding and customizing operating systems since very young age, gaining experience from all important systems, including Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and Android, which led to creation of Windows 11 mod called WinMac. Seamlessly blending the elegance of macOS with the versatility of Windows, my customized interface elevates user experience through meticulously crafted modifications and UI enhancements.

    With WinMac, every interaction with Windows 11 environment is imbued with a touch of sophistication, where the boundaries between the Windows and Mac universes blur, offering a sublime computing experience that transcends conventional limitations.
Do you mean that you want the Start button to have the same effect as pressing the Alt + Spacebar keyboard shortcut that you'd normally use to bring up PowerToys Run? If yes, this can easily be achieved with Open-Shell.
In the Open-Shell settings window, select the Controls tab. For both "Left Click opens:" and "Windows Key opens:", choose Custom command, and edit the text field after "Command to run" so the command will be:
%programfiles%\PowerToys\modules\launcher\PowerLauncher.exe
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
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    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
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    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
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    Logitech G402
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  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
No, I meant standard start menu to be swapped with its context menu:

2.png

as in - I click win key - context menu shows up, I click start menu orb with mouse left click - it also shows context menu;

and second part of the question about modifying menu entries is about that context menu as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Probook G9 450
    CPU
    i7-1255U
    Memory
    32 GB (DDR4, 3200 MHz)
    Other Info
    I loved modding and customizing operating systems since very young age, gaining experience from all important systems, including Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and Android, which led to creation of Windows 11 mod called WinMac. Seamlessly blending the elegance of macOS with the versatility of Windows, my customized interface elevates user experience through meticulously crafted modifications and UI enhancements.

    With WinMac, every interaction with Windows 11 environment is imbued with a touch of sophistication, where the boundaries between the Windows and Mac universes blur, offering a sublime computing experience that transcends conventional limitations.
Copypaste the code below in notepad and save it as a .cs file (e.g.: WinX.cs).
Code:
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Forms;

class Program
{

  [DllImport("user32.dll")]
  private static extern void keybd_event(byte bVk, byte bScan, int dwFlags, int dwExtraInfo);

  private const int KEYEVENTF_EXTENDEDKEY = 1;
  private const int KEYEVENTF_KEYUP = 2;

  public static void KeyDown(Keys vKey)
  {
    keybd_event((byte)vKey, 0, KEYEVENTF_EXTENDEDKEY, 0);
  }

  public static void KeyUp(Keys vKey)
  {
    keybd_event((byte)vKey, 0, KEYEVENTF_EXTENDEDKEY | KEYEVENTF_KEYUP, 0);
  }

  static void Main(string[] args)
  {
     KeyDown(Keys.LWin);
     KeyDown(Keys.X);
     KeyUp(Keys.X);
     KeyUp(Keys.LWin);
  }
}
Copypaste the code below and save it as a batchfile (e.g.: Build WinX.bat) within the same folder.
Batch:
@ECHO OFF
FOR /F "tokens=* USEBACKQ" %%F IN (`REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full" /v InstallPath`) DO SET InstallPath=%%F
SET InstallPath=%InstallPath:*REG_SZ =%
FOR /F "tokens=* Eol= " %%F IN ("%InstallPath%") DO SET "InstallPath=%%F"
IF EXIST "%InstallPath%csc.exe" ("%InstallPath%csc.exe" /out:"%~dp0\WinX.exe" /target:winexe "%~dp0\WinX.cs") ELSE (ECHO ERROR - Missing csc.exe)
PAUSE
Run the batchfile, a file WinX.exe will be created by it within the same folder. In Open-Shell settings, Controls tab, edit the text field after "Command to run" making it point to this WinX.exe file. (Remember to wrap the filepath between doublequotes if the filepath contains spaces.)

As for customizing the menu options that appear in the WinX menu on Windows 11 version 23H2, I haven't tried it myself, but you might want to check out this old thread here:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
Very clever way to implement it, yet it runs with huge delay of 1 second and snips active window to the right side so I'm not going to use it, but thanks anyway.

If anyone have other alternative solution, it would be greately appreciated.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Probook G9 450
    CPU
    i7-1255U
    Memory
    32 GB (DDR4, 3200 MHz)
    Other Info
    I loved modding and customizing operating systems since very young age, gaining experience from all important systems, including Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and Android, which led to creation of Windows 11 mod called WinMac. Seamlessly blending the elegance of macOS with the versatility of Windows, my customized interface elevates user experience through meticulously crafted modifications and UI enhancements.

    With WinMac, every interaction with Windows 11 environment is imbued with a touch of sophistication, where the boundaries between the Windows and Mac universes blur, offering a sublime computing experience that transcends conventional limitations.
Thanks, it worked! Still, it runs with huge delay of 1 second and snips active window to the right side so I'm not going to use it,
For me, there is no noticeable delay of any kind whatsoever, and it does not "snip the active window to the right" (whatever that might be). Besides the mouse cursor briefly flashing the spinning circle, or "busy" indicator, there simply are no side effects that I can see (it behaves exactly the same as pressing the Win + X keyboard shortcut).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
For me, there is no noticeable delay of any kind whatsoever, and it does not "snip the active window to the right" (whatever that might be). Besides the mouse cursor briefly flashing the spinning circle, or "busy" indicator, there simply are no side effects that I can see (it behaves exactly the same as pressing the Win + X keyboard shortcut).

Sorry I meant snap not snip, as in snaping window to the side.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Probook G9 450
    CPU
    i7-1255U
    Memory
    32 GB (DDR4, 3200 MHz)
    Other Info
    I loved modding and customizing operating systems since very young age, gaining experience from all important systems, including Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and Android, which led to creation of Windows 11 mod called WinMac. Seamlessly blending the elegance of macOS with the versatility of Windows, my customized interface elevates user experience through meticulously crafted modifications and UI enhancements.

    With WinMac, every interaction with Windows 11 environment is imbued with a touch of sophistication, where the boundaries between the Windows and Mac universes blur, offering a sublime computing experience that transcends conventional limitations.
What happens if you create a normal desktop shortcut that points to the WinX.exe file and you either pin that to taskbar or add it to a taskbar toolbar? (Taskbar toolbars are part why I also use the Windows 10 taskbar in Windows 11, but instead of StartAllBack I prefer to use ExplorerPatcher.)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
But that doesn't replicate the issue, when I'll attempt to run it from the shortcut using mouse pointer, it won't snap any window, as no window will be active at this very moment.

But I fixed the issue now - not sure how come there were lines in code, that besides lwin and x keys, it also included to click arrow keys with lwin key, which is an exact keybinding for snapping. That solves it then, thank you very much!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro (WinMac mod)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Probook G9 450
    CPU
    i7-1255U
    Memory
    32 GB (DDR4, 3200 MHz)
    Other Info
    I loved modding and customizing operating systems since very young age, gaining experience from all important systems, including Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS and Android, which led to creation of Windows 11 mod called WinMac. Seamlessly blending the elegance of macOS with the versatility of Windows, my customized interface elevates user experience through meticulously crafted modifications and UI enhancements.

    With WinMac, every interaction with Windows 11 environment is imbued with a touch of sophistication, where the boundaries between the Windows and Mac universes blur, offering a sublime computing experience that transcends conventional limitations.
not sure how come there were lines in code, that besides lwin and x keys, it also included to click arrow keys with lwin key,
That's because I edited my post very shortly after I noticed my mistake so as a result no "Last edited" is shown in the bottom right of the post, and I (wrongfully) assumed that you hadn't yet copied the code when I edited it. Anyway, I am glad that you finally got it working after all. Sorry for the confusion.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
    CPU
    i7 13650HX
    Memory
    16GB DDR5
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Cooling
    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF
  • Operating System
    11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Medion S15450
    CPU
    i5 1135G7
    Memory
    16GB DDR4
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe
    Sound Card
    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
    Screen Resolution
    3840×2160
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD internal
    37TB external
    PSU
    Li-ion
    Mouse
    Logitech G402
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Internet Speed
    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
    Browser
    FF

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