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How to Turn On or Off “Arrange Primary Actions Inline” in Windows 11

Learn how to switch Arrange primary actions inline on or off in Windows 11, and what to check if the Context menu setting is missing.

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On Windows 11 builds that include the redesigned context-menu settings, open Settings > Personalization > Context menu, then switch Arrange primary actions inline under Additional options on or off. The setting changes how File Explorer displays common commands; it does not remove them.

What the setting changes

When Arrange primary actions inline is on, File Explorer lists the primary commands directly in the context menu. When it is off, those commands appear in the compact row of icons. Microsoft identifies the primary commands as Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete, and Share. The option is about placement, not whether the commands are available.

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Microsoft introduced the redesigned context-menu experience to Windows Insiders on August 17, 2026, starting with Experimental build 26340.9212. The rollout is staged, so not every Insider necessarily sees it at once. Microsoft’s September 11, 2026 Experimental-channel notes describe further changes to the experience, indicating that it was still evolving. The sources do not establish that the setting is available on all Windows 11 installations.

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Turn the option on or off in Settings

  1. Press Win+I to open Settings.
  2. Select Personalization, then open Context menu.
  3. Under Additional options, find Arrange primary actions inline.
  4. Switch the toggle on to list the primary commands inline, or off to keep them in the compact icon row.
  5. Close Settings and right-click a file in File Explorer to view the selected layout.

The Settings route is documented by a community tutorial; Microsoft confirms the broader Personalization > Context menu settings experience. If the page or toggle is missing, check whether your Windows build and update channel have received the staged rollout.

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Optional: change the preference in Registry Editor

A community tutorial documents a current-user registry value for this preference. Microsoft’s announcement does not document this registry method, so use the Settings toggle when available. Registry editing is for users comfortable changing Windows settings in the registry.

  1. Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerContextMenuPreferencesDemoteTopBar.
  2. Set the DWORD value named Enabled to 1 to turn the option on, or 0 to turn it off.

The community tutorial also reports that this preference does not affect the classic context menu opened with Shift+right-click.

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