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Windows XP - No context menu above the taskbar

November 29, 2013
Updated: December 6, 2021
Quick overview:

The taskbar is a central element of the Windows desktop and contains the start menu access, the quick launch bar and the clock as well as all currently running applications. You can easily adjust the properties of the taskbar by right-clicking on it and, for example, changing the type of display (Customize window). After you have pressed this mouse button, a so-called context menu opens immediately.

Unfortunately, in rare cases, this context menu does not appear because it can be switched off by programs that run in depth. If you are experiencing this syndrome, don't worry, Windows Tweaks has come to the rescue:

Add context menu to the taskbar - here's how

1. Start the Windows Registry Editor by successively clicking on Start/Execute click and there regedit write in.

2. Now shimmy through the keys HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and double-click on the value NoTrayContextMenu and instead of the 1 one 0 to deactivate this restriction.

3. Now restart your computer and you can enjoy the convenient context menu again.

NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.

Founded Windows Tweaks as a teenager in the 90s. His helpful PC tricks made it Germany's most visited Windows site (at the time Sandro looked like this). He then went on to write elsewhere, for example for PC-Praxis, Computer Bild and PCWorld in the USA. Microsoft also poached him from us. Now Sandro is back, finally sharing his tweaks here again. For a stress-free digital everyday life. You can reach Sandro via e-mail.

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