How to customize Quick Access menus in Windows 10 and 8

Microsoft has introduced the Quick Access menu in Windows 8. This menu is also called the Power User menu which contains a large number of shortcuts for system utilities such as Control Panel, Command Prompt, Task Manager, File Explorer, Device Manager and many more than that.

Menu is accessed with Windows + X shortcut or right-click on the Start menu icon. We can use the free Win + X Menu Editor to turn this useful feature into a central navigation tool for computers.

1. How to change the Quick Access icon on File Explorer Windows 10
2. How to hide / show Recent Files and Frequently Folders in Quick access Window 10

Win + X Menu Editor

Start by visiting the Winaero page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and download Win + X Menu Editor. In the archive, you will find two directories: x86 and x64. Choose x64 if you use Win 64-bit and x86 if you use 32-bit Win. If you are not sure which Win type you use, press Windows + X key, select System and check the System type in the window that opens. You see, we haven't started yet and have to use the Win + X menu already. That proves that it is very useful.

Once you know the type of Windows you use, unzip the associated archive. Then run WinXEditor.exe to install the tool.

Download the application here.

Move programs

We will start with the basic Win + X Menu Editor feature. Even if you don't want to add or delete programs from the Quick Access menu, you still want to move them, or group them in different ways.

Create a group

Select Create a group in the menu. The new group will appear at the top of the list. You will have to pair with the programs before it appears in the Quick Access menu.

Move a program

Now that you have created a group, you will need to add a program to it. You have two options:

1. Right-click on the group you just created and select Add. Then select an application.
2. Right-click on the Quick Menu application that appears, and Move to group .

When you're done, click Restart Explorer .

Delete a program

There are a number of items in the Quick Access Menu that I have not accessed yet. I'm talking about the menu introduced in Windows 8. But luckily, Win + X Menu Editor allows users to delete any unused options.

1. Right-click on the offending item and select Delete . Then, Restart Explorer .
2. If you rethink, you can easily restore the defaults by selecting Restore Defaults .

Create menu groups

Unfortunately, Win + X Menu Editor cannot create a new sub-menu. Sub-menu is only for Shutdown Options . However, you can arrange Quick Menu shortcuts using submenu groups in turn.

Each group will have multiple sub-menus. You can create as many groups as you want or use a single list.

Add or change system utilities

One of Win + X Menu Editor's best improvements is to add system utilities to the Quick Access menu. Instead of having to browse through multiple menus or remember too many shortcuts, we can add items from the Control Panel, Administrative Tools folder and many other folders.

Click Add a program> Add a Control Panel Item / Add an Administrative Tool , then select the tool or item you want to add.

Do the same for the application

Basically, Quick Access menu provides an extremely reasonable choice for programs. However, it does not describe your frequently used applications. The Quick Access menu can work side by side or replace the shortcut icons of Taskbar.

Select Add a program> Add a program INS , then browse to the application you want to add. You can add as many options as you want, then Restart Explorer to see the changes.

Adding applications to the Quick Access menu is a great idea, but I think it depends on your workflow. I personally want to keep my Quick Access menu for system utilities and administrative tools and use Taskbar for frequently accessed applications.

Access the web faster

Did you know that we can add website shortcuts to the Quick Access menu? Win + X Menu Editor takes advantage of the fact that Quick Access menu is a disguised shortcut manager. That means we can add Quick Menu shortcuts to our favorite websites.

First, you need to create a shortcut. Drag and drop shortchut web page from browser address or bookmark bar into a folder. Then, select Add a program> Add a INS program and browse the shortchut page.

Return to Command Prompt

Windows 10 Creators Update introduced several new features for the operating system. Unfortunately, this version has also modified some of Windows' longtime features. For example, the Open Command Prompt here option is replaced with Open PowerShell window here . This is a bit annoying for users.

PowerShell also replaces the Command Prompt option in the Quick Access menu. If this bothers you, use Win + X Menu Editor to bring the Command Prompt to the Quick Access menu

Windows 8: Add options Shutdown

Microsoft expanded the shutdown options in the Quick Access menu on Windows 8.1. The shutdown options sub-menu has moved to Windows 10. However, Windows 8 users do not have such functionality - unless you add them yourself.

Go to Add a program> Add a preset> Shutdown options , have all the shutdown options, including Advanced boot options, will be inserted into a new group.

Streamline your activity

Use Win + X Menu Editor to streamline Quick Access, such as completely changing the menu, removing items you don't need or tweaking it to better suit your work.

The Quick Access menu is a less-used feature in Windows 10. Meanwhile, Microsoft is continuing to join the Control Panel with a new Settings panel that makes it easier to control Windows 10 than ever. Accordingly, the Quick Access menu may be abandoned.

What are the Quick Access menu shortcuts you will change? Do I miss any features of Win + X Menu Editor? If you have any comments, please comment below!