Set icon for custom right-click context menu item for all desktop shortcuts (windows explorer)

For Windows 7 & 8 & 10

Add custom item to Context Menu:

Sublime Text 3

Path to the application: C:\Program Files\Sublime Text 3\sublime_text.exe.

  1. Run regedit.exe (or press Windows Start Button & type: regedit)

  2. Goto: 

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\\*\shell

    (* is right at the top)

  3. Right_mouse_click shell in left panel for options to create a new Key:
    1. New > Key
    2. call it: Sublime Text 3 (or whatever you like to call it)
  4. Then we create another Key under the one we just created: Right_mouse_click Sublime Text 3 (in fact: your own app's name) in left panel for options to create a new Key:
    1. New > Key
    2. call it: command

  5. In the RIGHT panel change (Default) key value (double click or Right_mouse_click & Modify) to:

    C:\Program Files\Sublime Text 3\sublime_text.exe %1

    In actual fact: your own app's path.
    BUT DO ADD THE FOLLOWING AT THE END OF YOUR PATH after a space: %1.

OPTIONAL: Set Icon + Position in menu:

Icon:

  1. Click on key you created: Sublime Text 3 (Not it's child we just created: command)
  2. Create a new String Value for it (Right_mouse_click on RIGHT panel background or menu: edit, then New > Key, choose String Value)
  3. Call it: Icon

  4. Set it's value as we did for command above to:

    "C:\Program Files\Sublime Text 3\sublime_text.exe"

    In actual fact: your own app's path

+

Position in context menu:

  1. Create another String Value where we created Icon just as we did above
  2. Call it: Position

  3. Set it's Value to:

    Top

    or if you'd like:

    Bottom

NOTE: ICON & POSITION STRING KEYS ARE NOT CREATED IN command, BUT ITS PARENT: whatever you called your app key in \shell.


This might be a long shot, but try creating a String value named "Icon" under the HKCL\lnkfile\shell\MY COMMAND key, and then set the value to the path to your icon (e.g. C:\Program Files\Your Program\YourProgram.exe,0), assuming your icons are embedded in whatever application you specified to run in your command.


Ok I've worked a bit on this and understood an important thing: If you are on Windows XP or older, you need to do a dll, create GUIDs, reference... a very long task to set only an icon to context menu

Otherwise if you have vista or seven (and it's the technique I'm using) Cory's answer works well.

Tags:

Registry

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