You may frequently need to move or copy files to alternate folders in Windows. To do this, you can move files by dragging and dropping them into different folders. To copy a file to another location, you can either hold down the Ctrl key while dragging or use copy-paste hotkeys.
It would be better to have a context menu option to move and copy files to selected locations. You can then right-click on a file and select the Move to Folder or Copy to Folder option. This is how you can add context menu option to move and copy files to folders in Windows 11/10.
How to add Move to Folder Context Menu option
To add new context menu options in Windows 11/10, you will need to tweak the Windows Registry one way or the other. The Registry Editor app enables users to customize Windows’ right-click menu by manually tweaking the Registry. You can add the Move To Folder option to the context menu with Registry Editor as follows.
Now you can try out the new Move to Folder option on the context menu. Press the Explorer taskbar button to view the Windows File Manager. Right-click on a file and select the new Move to folder option. You have to select Show more options > Move to folder in Windows 11.
A small Move Items window will appear allowing you to select a destination folder. Select a folder to move the file to in that window. Then click on Move to place the file in the selected directory.
How to add copy to folder context menu option
The Windows context menu includes a Copy option, but it doesn’t enable you to select a destination to paste the file. Thus, users will have to manually paste the copied items into different folders after selecting that option. However, you can add a better Copy To Folder context menu option that brings up a destination folder selection window like this one.
You can then select the Copy to Folder context menu option, as in Move One. Right-click a file in Explorer, select Show more options (in Windows 11), and click Copy to folder. A Copy Items window will open from which you can choose a folder to contain the copied file. Clicking Copy will paste the item into the selected folder.
You can remove the “Copy/Move to Folder” option from the right-click menu by deleting their registry keys. To add the Move to folder context menu option, open the ContextMenuHandlers key location that you specified in step three. Right-click the Copy to Folder or Move to Folder registry key and choose Delete. Select Yes to confirm that you are sure you want to delete the key.
How to Add Move and Copy to Folder Context Menu Options with WinBubble
Adding the “Copy/Move to Folder” option is relatively straightforward with Registry Editor, but there’s still an easier way to do it. You can add similar options to context menus with the freeware WinBubble. WinBubble is customizable software that includes a wide variety of context menu options.
Now check out your new context menu options for copying items and moving them to different locations. WinBubble adds them to the classic context menu just like manual registry tweak methods. So, you still have to press Show more options or press Shift+F10 to access those options in Windows 11.
You can also use WinBubble to remove the “Copy/Move to folder” options. On its General tab, uncheck the selected Move To and Copy To checkboxes. Click Apply to set the new options.
Move and copy files to folders with your new context menu options
The “Copy/Move to folder” context menu options undoubtedly provide more convenient ways to copy and move files to alternate directories. You’ll no longer need to drag files to move items in Windows 11 after a new “Move to folder option” was added to the right-click menu. Nor will you need to paste files copied elsewhere in Windows 11 thanks to the “Copy to Folder” menu option.
The great thing about computers is that you can move large amounts of files with the click of a button. Don’t want this file on your main drive anymore? Simple: drag and drop it somewhere. Do you want to create a duplicate file as an archive or share it with a friend? Copy the file and let the computer do all the work.
You may have noticed that the wait time is different when you wait to move a file than when you copy it. But, is there really a difference? Which method is faster and why?