Microsoft has begun rolling out a Windows 11 preview update that gives users direct control over the right-click context menu, addressing a complaint that has lingered for years. The cumulative update, KB5127936, covers Windows 11 versions 26H2 and 25H2 and will reach devices gradually before a normal rollout once it hits general availability. The change targets users who have relied on custom scripts and services to reshape Windows to their preferences.
A new customize menu button lets users decide which commands appear when they right-click. Built-in commands such as Send To or Create Shortcut can be toggled on or off, items on the main menu can be rearranged, and users can choose whether third-party extensions appear in the main menu or submenus. The underlying complaint was that Microsoft had hidden familiar commands behind a top row of icons and pushed others under the Show more options submenu. The update shifts that control to the user.
The same preview introduces a Windows feature called Cloud Rebuild, a recovery option that reinstalls Windows 11 from the cloud even when an existing installation fails to boot. It pulls the Windows 11 image and required system drivers directly from Windows Update, so no custom recovery image or external media is needed. Microsoft classifies Cloud Rebuild as a recovery option, but it behaves more like a fresh install than a repair, since existing applications and files are not included. Users concerned about data security can sanitize entire system drives before reinstalling.
The software news arrives alongside a weaker picture of Microsoft's Windows OEM business in the company's latest quarterly report, released this week. CFO Amy Hood said Windows OEM revenue came in below expectations and fell 27 percent, or 28 percent in constant currency, according to a transcript of the call. She attributed the decline to Windows 10 end of support demand in the prior year, inventory drawdowns by OEM and channel partners, and weaker PC market demand. The broader Windows OEM and devices category, which includes Microsoft's own Surface lineup, fell 22 percent, per the earnings release.
Hood said Microsoft expects those trends to continue through the rest of the fiscal year. Recent hardware efforts, including the Surface Laptop Ultra and the broader RTX Spark platform, arrived too late in the quarter to register in the results, and Microsoft forecast further drops before new hardware could show up in its numbers.
Other parts of Microsoft's business grew. Azure jumped 48 percent and Microsoft Cloud revenue rose 30 percent year over year, now roughly 70 percent of the company's $92.3 billion in total quarterly revenue.
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