How to Add Any Application to the Windows Desktop Right-Click Menu

Here’s how to do it.

This technique will work in Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, or 11.

Right-punch the “shell” key, and then choose New > Key from the menu.

RegEdit view of the Shell key, plus the subkeys.

Give the new key the name that you want to show up on the desktop context menu.

For this example we’ll be using Notepad.

Right-snag the new Notepad key, and then choose New Key from the menu.

Right-click “Shell,” then mouse over “New,” and select “Key."

Give this key the name “command” in lowercase.

To complete this step you’ll need the full path to the system that you want to launch.

Name the new key “Notepad."

Change the value of “Default” key to “&Notepad”

Right-click the “Notepad” key, mouse over to “New,” then create a key.

Name the new sub-key “command”

Right-click the Notepad executable, then click “Copy as Path."

Paste the path you copied into the “Value Data” line, then click “OK."

The value of the “default” has been set to Notepad’s path.