How to Add or Remove Print On Context Menu in Windows 11

How to Put the Print Option Back Using Windows Settings

This method uses the Settings ⚙️ app only, so you don’t touch the registry. Not every build shows the same options in Settings. If you can’t find an item below, skip to the Registry Editor method later in this guide.

1. Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings ⚙️ app. You can also click Start and then the gear icon. Settings opens, with a list of categories on the left.
2. Click Personalization in the left pane. Then look for the Context menu 🖱️ choice on the right side of the screen and click it. If you don’t see it, your build doesn’t offer this option in Settings. Use the Registry Editor method instead.

   💡If there's no Context menu 🖱️ option in Personalization

   This option is still in development. Microsoft only offers it on PCs enrolled in the Windows Insider Preview program, so on a regular Windows 11 PC it won't appear in Settings. That's expected, not a fault with your PC.

   To add or remove Print, use the Registry Editor method later in this guide instead. It doesn't need an Insider build. Before you change anything, choose File > Export in the Registry Editor to save a backup.

3. Scroll down to the File actions section. This part controls what appears when you right-click files such as documents and photos.
4. Find the switch next to Print and set it to On. To remove the command later, return to this page and set the same switch to Off.
5. Close the Settings ⚙️ window. The change applies right away, so you don’t need to restart. Right-click a printable file, such as a PDF or a text document, and check that Print now appears in the menu. If you turned the switch off, check that it is gone.

If you don’t see Print there, choose Show more options at the bottom of the menu, or press Shift+F10, to open the full classic menu. Also keep in mind that Print only shows up for file types that have a print action registered, such as documents and images. It won’t appear for every file.

How to Add or Remove Print Using the Registry Editor

This method makes a small change in the Registry Editor. It works on Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education, and it is useful when the Settings ⚙️ option is missing on your build. You need an administrator account.

It is powerful, and a wrong change can cause system problems. Before you start, open the Registry Editor and choose File › Export to save a backup. If anything goes wrong, you can restore it with File › Import

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter. When Windows asks whether to let the app make changes to your device, click Yes. The Registry Editor opens with a folder tree on the left. If the prompt doesn't appear and nothing opens, your account may not have administrator rights.
2. Click the address bar near the top of the Registry Editor window and clear whatever is in it. Paste this path and press Enter: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ContextMenu\Preferences\verbs\print. The tree jumps to that key.
3. Check whether the verbs and print folders exist at the end of that path. If either one is missing, create it. Right-click the folder just above where the missing one should be, select New › Key, and type the name exactly as shown.
4. Look in the right pane for a value named Enabled. If it is there, double-click it. If it is missing, right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New › DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it Enabled. Then double-click the new value to open it.
5. In the window that opens for Enabled, set the Value data field to 1 to add the Print option to your right-click menu. To remove it later, return here and change the same value to 0. Click OK to save.
6. Restart your PC, or restart only Windows Explorer. To do the latter, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer in the Processes list, right-click it, and choose Restart. The taskbar and desktop disappear for a moment and then come back. Right-click a printable file to check the result.

Summary

You can add or remove the print command on the Windows 11 right-click menu with either the Settings app or the Registry Editor. Settings is quicker and safer, but it may not offer the option on every build. The registry method works on all editions and is easy to undo by changing the value back. Use whichever suits your system, and keep the registry backup until you are sure everything works.