Last Updated on May 31, 2026
Windows file management is one of the most important skills to know in order to be a proficient Windows computer user. If you do not know how to do things such find, copy, move or delete your files, you will have difficulty in many other areas of your daily computing tasks.
For those who are always copying or moving files, you have many choices of how to go about doing so. You can use the Windows shortcut keys such as Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V to cut and paste or you can right click on a file and choose copy or cut and then go to the destination folder and choose the paste option or press Ctrl-V on your keyboard. A better option is to be able to copy or move files and folders to a different directory simply by right clicking on them. In this article, we will be showing you how to add a copy to folder and move to folder right click context menu item in Windows.
Reviewing the Default Windows Context Menu
1. View Your Current Right-Click Options
Normally when you right click on a file or folder, you have several basic options available. This menu includes standard actions like copy and cut as shown in the image below. We want to bypass this slow default behavior and add direct folder targeting to save you extra clicks.
Editing the Windows Registry for Context Menu Additions
1. Launch the Registry Editor
In order to add the copy to folder and move to folder right click context menu items, we will be performing a simple registry edit. If you are not comfortable editing the registry or have never done so before, this might not be something you should do. If you make a mistake, you risk having your computer not function properly but if you are careful, you should be ok. To open the Windows registry editor, you can type regedit in the taskbar search box and then open the tool.
2. Navigate to the ContextMenuHandlers Key
Next, you will need to navigate to the exact registry key controlling your file system objects. You can right click the specific text below and paste it directly into the address bar of the registry editor. Hit Enter to jump straight to this active directory path.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers
3. Create the Copy To Registry Key
Once you are there, right click on the ContextMenuHandlers key folder located in the left pane. Select New and then choose Key from the popup list. Name this brand new key Copy to exactly as written.
4. Assign the Copy To Data Value
Then look in the right hand pane. Double click on the Default string located within the new Copy to key. You must add {C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} inside the Value data field. Include the curly brackets exactly as shown. This will instantly add the Copy to right click context menu item.
5. Create the Move To Registry Key
For the Move to right click context menu item, right click on the ContextMenuHandlers folder again. Select New and then choose Key once again. Name this new key Move to and hit Enter to save it securely to the registry hive.
6. Assign the Move To Data Value
Once again, double click on the Default string located within your new Move to folder. Add {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} directly into the Value data field. Your registry editor window should look similar to the image below.
Using the New File Transfer Options
1. Access the Expanded Right-Click Menu
Now when you right click on a file or folder, you will have a Copy to and Move to menu selection available immediately. For Windows 11 users, you will need to click on Show more options first unless you have the classic right click menu enabled. You can also hold down the Shift key when right clicking to bypass the modern Windows 11 design and go directly to the secondary legacy menu.
2. Select Your Destination Folder
Then when you choose one of the newly added options, a secondary dialog box will launch. You will be prompted as to where you want to copy or move the selected file or folder to. Browse your local hard drives and highlight your exact destination directory to complete the instant file transfer.
You may also want to check out this article on how to change the default drag and drop action in Windows.
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