Windows File Explorer Not Working Correctly

[HansV]

Weird!

[hlewton]

Weird!

For sure. Wish there were a solution.

[DaveA]

In the top (Correct image) it appears that you have 2 files highlighted and in the bottom (incorrect image) you have only one highlighted.

What would you get if you did this again but selected ONLY one (1) and the same file for BOTH screen shots?

[Leif]

in the second picture, Open With is in bold.
Is it possible you have lost your associations for the files?

[hlewton]

in the second picture, Open With is in bold.
Is it possible you have lost your associations for the files?

I just checked and all associations for all my "Apps" are the way they should be.

The right click options just disappear after opening Outlook but the associations are still fine.

[hlewton]

in the second picture, Open With is in bold.
Is it possible you have lost your associations for the files?

OK since you mentioned this I have done some more checking and it gets even weirder. The file associations are all correct. When I right clicked on both Word and Excel all the "Open," New," and "Print" options are missing after opening Outlook. When I right click on an Access file the only option missing is "Print." When I right click on a Power Point file, ppsx, all the options are there except "Open." When I right click on a Power Point file, pptx, all the options are there.

What's even stranger, I just found out, is when I go back and check the Word and Excel files all options are there but when I check again they are gone.

If when the options are not available and I click on the Bold Open With the correct program, either Word or Excel is not even an option. It wants me to search the computer for more program and not sure how I would direct it to the correct app since Word or Excel was not offered as an option for opening the files.

[jolas]

It maybe something like this. Right-Click is also referred to as context-menu. Depending on what is current selected or not it will show you relevant or applicable commands you can use at a particular instance.

If you right-click without any object selected it will show a shortlist of relevant commands.

If you open a window with many different file types. Say you have selected multiple files of the same type, when you right-click most probably Open, Edit, New, Print will be offered as part of the relevant command applicable to the selection.

If however your selection is composed of different file types the contexts menu may not show the above commands as it may not be relevant to the files (different file types) selected.

Does that make sense?

[Argus]

As jolas says mixed file types will result in different context menus; but I assume you have been doing all tests on the same types.

There is a upper limit in the OS for Windows Explorer context menus; typically these options go missing if more than 15 files are selected (for quite good reasons). But if something else isn't working, who knows... Especially after repeated tests.

Context menus are shortened when more than 15 files are selected

[hlewton]

As jolas says mixed file types will result in different context menus; but I assume you have been doing all tests on the same types.

There is a upper limit in the OS for Windows Explorer context menus; typically these options go missing if more than 15 files are selected (for quite good reasons). But if something else isn't working, who knows... Especially after repeated tests.

Context menus are shortened when more than 15 files are selected

Thanks jolas and Argus. Yes my problem occurs when I choose 2 or 3 files of the same type, say xlsx files. The Open, New and Print options should always be available to me but for some reason they aren't. Hans tells me these 3 options are installed by Office and Office crashed while saying it was updating. I had the tech from both Office and then Windows 10 support working on this and none of them ever heard of it or could fix it. I have just learned to live with it but when I see something new happen, like opening Outlook, and they disappear I hope it jogs someone's memory of a problem they had.

By the way, when I opened Outlook today I still had all my right click options available. As you say, who knows.

Thank you both for your replies.

[hlewton]

I have waited for a couple weeks to post here again so I was completely sure what I was seeing was repeatable. There probably still is no answer but the hope is someone sees something that may help jog their memory and maybe come up with some kind of solution.

I no longer believe, actually I know, that opening Outlook does not affect the "Open," "New'" and "Print" right click options. What I have observed and documented for the past few weeks, to me, proves it. With or without Outlook open my Right click context menu responds the same in that if I choose only 1 file in Windows File explorer the "Open," "New'" and "Print" right click options are not available. However, if I choose multiple files, from the same program like Excel, the "Open," "New'" and "Print" right click options are available. This is the only machine that this happens on. My other computers offer the "Open," "New'" and "Print" right click options whether or not 1 or multiple files are chosen.

[DaveA]

OK, this 1 machine that you are having this issue with what are the system spec's, OS version and build, MS Office version and build?
If using File Explorer what file types are you testing this on?
Are you selecting more than one type?
DOC and DOCX are two different types.

Also are you testing the using File Explorer it self or the action Open within a program (Word, Excel and etc.)?
If using Open within a program, how are you selecting multi files?

[hlewton]

OK, this 1 machine that you are having this issue with what are the system spec's, OS version and build, MS Office version and build?
If using File Explorer what file types are you testing this on?
Are you selecting more than one type?
DOC and DOCX are two different types.

Also are you testing the using File Explorer it self or the action Open within a program (Word, Excel and etc.)?
If using Open within a program, how are you selecting multi files?

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9400F CPU@2.90 Hz 2.90 Hz
Installed Ram - 32.0 GB
System Type 64-bit Operating System, x64-based Processor
Version 1909 (OS Build 18363.1016

Testing mostly on *.xlsx files. I do not mix file types like DOC and DOCX or XLX and XLSX.
I do not select more than 1 type of file at a time and expect to have all my Right click options available, But, because of how my other machines respond, I do expect to have all my Right click options available when only 1 file is chosen, but they are not.
It is the Right click options of Windows File Explorer that I am testing and referring to in this thread.
I very rarely use the program itself's Open option and when I do I know I can only select 1 file at a time.

Thanks

[jolas]

Would you like to try this application from NirSoft - ShellMenuView . The list of context menu items are huge but there is a way to filter say Excel .xlsx or Words docx to have a shortlist of context menu item. It is an easy way to enable and disable items.

Play around with other Office application file type that do not suffer from the issue and see how application affect disabling or enabling item.

Plus you can open the item in regedit if you are also interested on where these entries are located.

Also it doesn't need to be installed and ran as a portable app, say on your desktop.

[hlewton]

Would you like to try this application from NirSoft - ShellMenuView . The list of context menu items are huge but there is a way to filter say Excel .xlsx or Words docx to have a shortlist of context menu item. It is an easy way to enable and disable items.

Play around with other Office application file type that do not suffer from the issue and see how application affect disabling or enabling item.

Plus you can open the item in regedit if you are also interested on where these entries are located.

Also it doesn't need to be installed and ran as a portable app, say on your desktop.

Thanks. Not sure this will help my problem but will look into it.

[jolas]

If the registry entry is missing then the expected right click option will then be unavailable.

missingOpen.jpg

Screenshot above from a filtered view of NirSoft ShellMenuView

[hlewton]

If the registry entry is missing then the expected right click option will then be unavailable.
missingOpen.jpg

Screenshot above from a filtered view of NirSoft ShellMenuView

I have not installed NirSoft ShellMenuView because I am a bit apprehensive not knowing what it actually does or can do to a computer. How many steps are there to seeing what you show in the above attachment? I assume if any of the "&" are missing they can be edited to restore them, correct?

I probably still won't install this for fear of doing more damage then good.

[HansV]

You don't have to install ShellMenuView. You can simply download shmnview.exe from the link posted by jolas to a folder on your hard disk.
Then right-click the downloaded file, select Properties, click Unblock and click OK. That's it.

When you start the utility, you can use it to view which right-click options are available on your computer. Used like that, it won't change anything on your computer.

To enable or disable an option, you can click the red/green buttons in the toolbar, but if you don't click them, nothing will happen.

[hlewton]

Thank you Hans.

[jolas]

How many steps are there to seeing what you show in the above attachment?

Two steps:
1. On the first filter option to the right of "Quick Filter" choose Find multiple words (space delimited)
2. Type .xlsx .docx, space between the two extensions text

I assume if any of the "&" are missing they can be edited to restore them, correct?

Yes
(Open and Edit on my system is exactly the same registry entry except for command Open and Edit placed in their designated location)


As Hans mentioned earlier and included on my earlier post you don't need to install it. Unzip the file on your desktop and give it permission to run.

As a side note.
You may notice the Extended Mode column with Yes on certain context menu command.
It means you just need to Shift-Right Click to see the command which leads me to.
The Open context menu command might be in your system already except that the Extended Mode is enabled that is probably why it is not there when you right click .xlsx (1 file).
Disabling the Extended Mode (pressing F4) while the appropriate Open command is selected will return its "default" status

[hlewton]

Jolas, thank you.