CMenuExtender

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET Staff on February 27, 2009

There aren't many options for Windows users who want to alter their Windows Explorer context menus. An imperfect, but reasonable choice is the CMenuExtender. This application is compatible with all Microsoft operating systems from Windows 95 through Vista. This application can't edit existing context menu options, however, it is customizable. If users find a method of removing other options that are cluttering up their menu, they can load the ones they need with this editor.

After installation, hit either the New Menu or New Item buttons. New Item will add the new option directly to the main context menu, while New Menu will create a submenu. Users can Move or Copy the selected item to a named folder, or choose the folder at will, insert a time stamp, e-mail the item, show the path, display properties, launch a specific application or Web page, and more. In addition to setting separators, you can also create custom commands--although that feature requires some programming knowledge in advance.

CMenuExtender suffers from a name that's not simple enough and an interface that's too simple. Light on resources, it needs a bit of polish and a clear list of instructions on how to use it. Even in an application with a feature list as unembellished as this one, there's no reason to create an interface that inspires boredom. Most power users should be able to eke out what they need from CMenuExtender, but this is definitely not for beginners.