How to copy the file list of folders with the right mouse button

If there is a folder full of files and you want to save or print the list of files, what should be done? With few registry edits, you can add the copy command to the folder contents to the clipboard.

You can take a screenshot of the folder and print, but this way you won't be able to capture all the files in one image. You can also use the command in the Command Prompt to transfer the directory list to a file. However, adding commands to the context menu is much simpler because you just need to right-click the folder to instantly copy the file list to the clipboard. And here's how.

1. Copy file contents with right mouse button
2. Add Copy to folder and Move to folder in the right-click menu
3. How to copy file or folder paths in Windows

Add the right click command to copy the file list by manually editing the registry

To add a right-click command in all Windows versions, you only need to make a few edits in the Windows Registry.

Warning: Registry Editor is a powerful tool and its abuse can make the system unstable or even inactive. This is a simple trick, you just need to follow the instructions correctly without any problems. You need to back up the registry before making changes to prevent a problem.

Open Registry Editor by clicking Start and typing regedit , then press Enter and grant permission to make changes to the computer.

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In Registry Editor, use the left bar to navigate to the following key:

 HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTDirectoryshell 

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Next, you will create a new key inside the key shell by right-clicking on the key shell and selecting New> Key . Name this new key copylist or whatever you want.

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Now, change the value (Default) inside the new copylist key by selecting the key copylist , double-clicking the value (Default) to open its properties window.

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In the properties window, set the value in the Value data box to Copy File List to Clipboard and then click OK . This value provides the command name that appears in the context menu. Here you can type whatever name you want but need to be brief.

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Next, you will create a new key inside the key copylist by right-clicking on the copylist key and selecting New> Key , naming this new key as command .

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Now, change the value (Default) inside the new key command by selecting the key command , double-clicking on the value (Default) to open its properties window.

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The (Default) value determines the actual command that it will run when you select the option in the context menu. To add a simple copy of the list of all file names to the clipboard, type the following in the Value data box and then click OK .

 cmd / c dir "% 1" / b / a: -d / o: n | clip 

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Also, if you want to copy the list with more detailed information, not just the file name, you can delete the switch / b at the above command. This will copy the name, date and file size. You just need to enter the following line in the Value data box.

 cmd / c dir "% 1" / a: -d / o: n | clip 

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Here we use the dir command, so you can use any switch that the command supports. For more information on this command, type dir /? go to Command Prompt.

Once done, exit Registry Editor. To check, just right-click any folder and select Copy File List command to Clipboard . You will see the Command Prompt window open and close quickly. After selecting the command, you can paste the content into another application such as Word, Notepad.

If you choose the command with switch / b , you will see the following simple file list:

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If you choose a command without switch / b , you will have the following list:

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If you want to reverse this change, simply return to the Registry and delete the created key copylist . This will automatically delete all other values ​​and keys inside the copylist key and delete the commands in the context menu.

Download the hack registry file one click

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If you don't want to make manual changes on the Registry, you can download the hack file one click below. File hack Copy Simple File Names to Clipboard will add a command to copy the list of file names to the context menu. File hack Copy File Names and Details to Clipboard will add the following command to copy the file name, date and size to the context menu. And finally the Remove Copy File Commands file from Context Menu (Default) will delete the command you added. All three hacking files above will be in the ZIP file below. Just double click on the file you want to use.

 https://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Copy-File-List-Hacks.zip 

These hacking files are essentially the process of exporting the key copylist we created in the previous section to the .REG file and running this file will edit the value in the registry. If you want, you can also create your own hack registry file.

I wish you all success!