Microsoft is beginning the rollout of Windows 11 preview update KB5127936, adding a customizable right-click menu (Ars Technica). The cumulative update covers Windows 11 versions 26H2 and 25H2 (Microsoft). The company describes the new menu as faster, simpler and more customizable (Microsoft).
Key Facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Update | KB5127936, a preview cumulative update for Windows 11 26H2 and 25H2 | Microsoft |
| Main change | A Customize menu option at the bottom of the context menu opens its Settings page | Microsoft |
| Rollout | Gradual rollout first, then a normal rollout at general availability | Ars Technica |
| Also included | Modernized AutoPlay, File Explorer changes, Magnifier updates | Microsoft |
| Windows 11 24H2 | No longer receives non-security preview updates from October 2026 | Microsoft |
Timeline
- 2021-07-19: Microsoft detailed the Windows 11 context menu design, including grouped commands and a Show more options entry that loads the Windows 10 menu (Windows).
- 2026-10-29: Microsoft listed KB5127936 with the updated context menu (Microsoft).
- 2026-10-29: Ars Technica reported the start of the rollout alongside Microsoft’s quarterly financial report (Ars Technica).
Details (as Reported)
Microsoft states that users can turn built-in Windows commands, such as Send to and Create shortcut, on or off (Microsoft). Users can add commands such as Print, and choose which app extensions appear in the main menu or a submenu, or hide the submenu (Microsoft). Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete and Share can be displayed directly in the menu instead of as a row of icons, and Properties can move to the bottom (Microsoft). Holding Shift while right-clicking the desktop shows more options (Microsoft).
In 2021, Microsoft listed problems it aimed to fix in the Windows 10 menu, including that it was exceptionally long and that commands added by apps had no common organizational schema (Windows). It stated that the Windows 11 menu places common commands next to where the menu is invoked (Windows).
Ars Technica describes the update as addressing a persistent power user complaint about a right-click menu that disrupted muscle memory and hid some commands behind an additional click (Ars Technica). The newsroom also reported that the announcement came alongside a Microsoft quarterly financial report showing a continued decline in the business of selling Windows licenses for new PCs (Ars Technica).
The preview also features Cloud Rebuild, a recovery option that can reinstall Windows 11 from the cloud even when the existing installation fails to boot (Ars Technica). Ars Technica reported that it pulls the Windows 11 image and system drivers from Windows Update and behaves like a fresh install, so existing applications and files are not included (Ars Technica).
Other changes include a modernized AutoPlay dialog with dark mode support, and support for the tilde character in the File Explorer address bar (Microsoft).
What Is Not Yet Confirmed
- Microsoft states that availability varies by device during the gradual rollout (Microsoft).
- Ars Technica reports that the normal rollout to all Windows 11 devices follows once the update reaches general availability, and no date is given (Ars Technica).