Windows Tools, Help & Guides

When teaching people how to use Windows I always tell them that the Right-Click menu (also known as the context menu) is the most important Windows Tool they should ever learn to use. You are no doubt familiar about the SendTo function available in the context-menu. But we don’t always want to COPY our files from one place to another, sometimes we want to move it. Of course you can use the old CTRL+X and CTRL+V trick, but that wouldn’t be neat tip to show you so, this is how you put the MoveTo function into your context menu:

Adding the functionality

This involves editing the registry, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you, now would it :-) If you’re new to editing the registry, start here.

1. Make a copy of your registry (just to be on the safe side of things)
2. Open the Registry Editor (Click Start Button, type Regedit, press Enter)
3. Locate the following key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT \ AllFilesystemObjects \ shellex \ ContextMenuHandlers
4. In the left pane; Right Click on the folder called ContextMenuHandlers, and add a new Key
5. Name the key: MoveTo, press Enter
6. Click on the new key to see the string value inside it called Default.
7. Double-Click it and add the value: {C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}

While we’re at it, let’s add a CopyTo function as well. If you don’t want to do this skip to step 12.

8. In the left pane; Right Click on the folder called ContextMenuHandlers, and add a new Key
9. Name the key: CopyTo, press Enter
10. Click on the new key to see the string value inside it called Default.
11. Double-Click it and add the value: {C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
12. Close the Registry Editor

And that’s all there is to it.

Now Right-Click on any file you want to move, choose Move To Folder, select the new destination and Voilá.

About Thomas

Computer geek from the age of 7, which amounts to 30 years of computer experience. From the early days (when every computer company had their own OS) of DOS, Windows 1.0 through Seven...

• Web
|
• More Posts (275)

Free PC tips by email