Windows 10’s context menu (a.k.a. the menu that pops up when you right-click an item) is designed to make our life’s easier. While this feature can certainly be useful, it is possible to remove the Share option from Windows 10’s context menu.
When you right-click on a file in Windows 10, “Share” is among the options listed in the context menu. If you select it, it will open another menu from where you can share it to some of your favorite contacts, as well as supporting apps.
How to remove the Share option from Windows 10’s context menu
Before you remove the Share option from Windows 10’s context menu I suggest you give it a try if you haven’t done it yet. You might just end up liking it. Nevertheless, if you don’t find it useful it’s a good idea to remove it as it will ensure your context menu stays relevant and clutter-free.
Sadly, Windows 10 doesn’t make removing the Share option from the right-click menu easy. We’ll need to use a registry tweak for this to happen – it’s a multi-step although straightforward process. Just follow the instructions below. Also, make sure you have administrative rights because they are needed to edit the Windows Registry.
Hit the Win key + R shortcut to open the Run dialog, type regedit and press the OK button to open the Registry Editor. Navigate to the location below:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
If you’re running Windows 10 Creators Update, you can just copy and paste the location in the Registry Editor’s address bar and hit Enter to jump directly to it.
Inside the ContextMenuHandlers key, there’s another key called ModernSharing. Select it and delete it. Then, you can close the Registry Editor and right-click on any file in File Explorer. The Share option should no longer be displayed in the context menu.
How to get back the Share context menu option in Windows 10
If at some point you decide you want to get back the Share option in Windows 10’s context menu, you will need to return to the same Registry location as mentioned above. Right-click the ContextMenuHandlers key and select New->Key from the pop-up menu. Name it ModernSharing. That’s it! This will bring back the Share option in Windows 10’s context menu.
The Share option has been available in the context menu starting with Windows 10 Creators Update. However, this isn’t Microsoft’s first attempt to implement it. Back in Windows 8, we had a similar option accessible from the Charms bar. Truth be told, the current Share option could use some improvements, but until we get them, you at least know how to get rid of it.
