How to Change Which Software Windows 10’s “Edit” Context Menu Option Opens
Windows 10’s File Explorer context menu includes anEditoption you can select to open a right-clicked image in Paint. That’s a handy shortcut for users who want to edit pictures with Paint. However, that default option isn’t much good for the many more users who edit images with alternative software, such as Photoshop and GIMP.
Would you prefer theEditoption to open pictures in a different image editor? If so, you can change that Windows 10 context menu option to open images in whatever app you like with the methods in this guide.
How to Change the Edit Option by Tweaking the Registry
Windows 10’s registry includes aneditkey that’s set to open MS Paint. However, you can reconfigure that key for the Edit option to open software of your choosing with a little manual registry tweaking. This is how you can change what software theEditcontext menu option opens by editing the registry:
Now try opening an image with Windows 10’sEditoption. Launch the Explorer file management utility (Win+Eis its hotkey), and right-click an image to selectEdit. The picture will open in the software you’ve set theEditoption to launch.
you’re able to restore theEditoption to its default value. To do so, reopen the registry path referenced in step five above. Bring up the Edit String window for the command key’s(Default)string again. Then clear theData valuebox to input this MS Paint location:
How to Change the Edit Option With Winaero Tweaker
Instead of modifying the registry yourself, you’re able to change Windows 10’sEditmenu option with Winaero Tweaker. The Winaero Tweaker Windows software has a multitude of handy customization options for the context menu, desktop, taskbar, File Explorer, and more besides. It includes a setting that enables you to change what app theEditcontext menu entry opens. You can change theEditoption with that setting as follows:
Now theEditcontext menu option will open the app you selected for it in Winaero Tweaker. However, you can easily revert that option to the default MS Paint with Winaero Tweaker. To do so, press theSet to Microsoft Paintbutton in theApp for ‘Edit’ Image Context Menuoption.
How to Add an Edit Option to Windows 11’s Context Menu
Windows 11’s right-click menu doesn’t have anEditoption. Nor does its secondary classic context menu retain that option. Theeditregistry key referenced in method one doesn’t exist in Windows 11.
However, you can restore anEditoption on Windows 11’s classic context menu by recreating the keys required for it. That involves adding a new key and subkey to the same registry location in Windows 11. Then you set an app for that key by modifying its(Default)string path. These are the full steps for adding a newEditoption to Windows 11’s context menu:
You’ll now see anEditoption on Windows 11’s classic context menu. Bring up a folder that contains some PNG or JPG files your editing software will open. Right-click an image to selectShow moreoptions. Then clickEditto bring up the image in the software you set that option to open.
You can also add multiple options to Windows 11’s context menu that open files in different image editors much the same. Repeat the steps above, but give theEditkey a different name. For example, you could name a key that opens Photoshop:Open with Photoshop. The visible context menu option that the key adds will have the same title.
Open Images Within Your Favorite Editing Software in Windows 10 and 11
Microsoft Paint isn’t exactly the gold-standard software for editing picture files. TheEditcontext menu option in Windows 10 will be much more useful when configured to open files in a superior third-party image editor. As image viewers are preferable default apps for viewing PNG and JPG files, you can set theEditcontext option to be a shortcut for opening images in a third-party editor like GIMP, Photoshop, or Paint.NET.
Don’t want to pay for Photoshop, or don’t like it? Try these alternatives that come at no cost.
Lose your laptop without this feature, and you’ll wish you had turned it on.
Who asked for these upgrades?
One casual AI chat exposed how vulnerable I was.
Quality apps that don’t cost anything.
This small feature makes a massive difference.
