Fix: Right Click Not Working on Windows

In Windows 10, you may encounter an issue whereby the right click does not work (or rather, the context menu doesn’t appear). In some cases right-clicking on the mouse works erratically; sometimes responding and others just remain still.

However, if you take a look at the WinX folder all the shortcuts in there will work seamlessly when directly clicked. You can even see the event viewer.

But before moving on with the solutions, make sure the mouse is properly working, to do so, plug the mouse into another system (laptop/ desktop) and check if the right-click is working. For a wireless mouse, replace its batteries and then try the undermentioned solutions. Moreover, disable any network drives/cards during the troubleshooting process. It will be a good idea to unplug all the USB devices except the Mouse. Make sure there is no disk in the CD/DVD ROM. To be sure if the problem is hardware or software related, boot the system in Safe Mode and check if right-click is working. If you are using the PC in a corporate environment, then check with your IT administrator if any group policy is restricting the right-click.

1. Turn off the Tablet Mode

The failure of the right-click function can be directly attributed to TABLET mode being activated on your computer. You cannot do most of the right-click operations while in this mode. There are many ways to turn off the tablet mode on your Windows 10 PC.

Method 1: Turn off Tablet Mode in Action Center

1. For this option, press the combination keys WINDOWS + A, or click on the system icon for Action Center which is usually located in the taskbar notification zone.
2. Navigate to the bottom of the Action Center and then click or tap on Tablet Mode. It is a two – way toggle between ON and OFF, so do it according to your preference. Once done, test to see if the right-click now works.

Method 2: Turn off Tablet mode Through Settings 

1. Go to Settings and click on System.
2. On the left-hand side, you will see the line Tablet Mode. Click on it.
3. Now on the right side identify the phrase “Make Windows more touch-friendly when using your device as a tablet”. Turn it off.

In case you need to enable Tablet mode, just do the same thing as above but this time turn the button ON.

Take note of the options just under this instruction; they may come in handy for future interactions. There are options for the mode that initiates immediately after you sign in. You can let the system automatically switch to tablet mode on signing in, go to the desktop, or just use the last signing in mode. There are also some more options for how the system notifies you when tablet mode is on automatic mode.

Method 3: Use System Registry Editor to Turn Off Tablet Mode (Advanced Users Only)

1. Go to “Run”. In Run, key in the word Regedit.exe or just Regedit. The registry editor appears.

   

2. Navigate to the path

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell

3. When you click on the folder ImmersiveShell, on the right-hand side locate the DWORD/entry TabletMode. To turn off tablet mode, change its value to 0.

2. Use Shell Extension Manager Application for Windows

The right-click problem is sometimes also caused by third party extensions on context menus. There is a utility that can help you get rid of these extensions effectively without much struggle.

1. Download Shell Extension Manager.
2. After completion of the download, launch the application using your keyboard (Shift+F10) and then select “run as administrator”. No installation is required here.
3. On the menu that appears select Options. Click Filter by Extension Type and then opt for Context Menu.
4. A list will be shown. Take note of the items having a pink background. They are the entries installed by 3^rd party software.
5. Press and hold the CTRL key and then click on all the entries having a pink background. On the left corner, click the red button to disable them all.
6. Again under Options, Restart Explorer.
7. Right-click on your desktop now and see if the problem has been resolved. If so, start enabling the 3^rd party extensions one by one.
8. If once again the right click problem occurs, it is most certainly the last 3^rd party extension you enabled. Disable it, or just completely uninstall its parent software or program if necessary.

3. Executing DISM Commands

The Disk health may be damaged due to which the right-click is not working on the computer. Therefore, in this step, we will be checking and repairing the Disk Health. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys simultaneously and type in cmd.

   

2. Press the “Shift” + “Ctrl” + “enter” keys simultaneously to open an elevated command prompt.
3. Type in the following commands one by one and press “enter” after each

   Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth 
   
   Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth 
   
   Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

4. After the process finishes, check to see if the issue persists.

4. Run the SFC Scan

It is possible that a certain driver or “.dll” file is missing or has been corrupted. Therefore, in this step, we will be initiating an SFC scan to check and repair this issue. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys simultaneously and type in cmd.

   

2. Press the “Shift” + “Ctrl” + “enter” keys simultaneously to open an elevated command prompt.
3. Type in the following command and press “Enter” to execute it

   sfc/scannow

   

4. Wait while the system is being scanned and check to see if the issue persists after the scan is completed.

5. Remove Registry Items

Sometimes, the error is fixed simply by deleting certain registry entries. If the registry configurations have been corrupted or are wrongly configured they can prevent certain elements of the operating system from functioning correctly. To fix that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the run prompt.

   

2. Type in “Regedit” and press “Enter”.

   

3. Navigate to the following path

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\NvCplDesktopContext

   

4. Delete all the Folders in EXCEPT the following

   FileSyncEx
   
   New
   
   Sharing
   
   WorkFolders

5. Right-click on any folder except for the ones indicated above and select “Delete” from the list to remove them.

   

WARNING: During the above steps, you may lose your desktop after disabling stuff and you will be left with nothing to work on for the rest of the processes. If this occurs, just press Ctrl-Alt-Del. In the task manager, select the file tab, run a new task and then key in explorer.exe. Your desktop will come up immediately.

6: Uninstall/Disable Conflicting Applications

There are known applications that cause the mouse error under discussion. These third-party applications usually take control of your HID and then sometimes, they go in an error state which causes the loss of functionality. In that case, uninstalling/disabling these applications may solve the problem. Following is a list of such applications:

If you have installed any of these applications then either disable them or uninstall/reinstall them. This list might not be complete so keep a lookout for these type of applications. You can also consider starting your computer in safe mode to diagnose the problem.

7: Update Drivers

Drivers are the main components connecting your system hardware and operating system. If any of the drivers are corrupted or outdated, then updating to the latest version may solve the problem. Drivers get corrupt usually because of a bad Windows update and get outdated if they are not updated alongside a Windows update.

1. Press Windows key and type Device Manager. Then in the results, click on Device Manager.

   

2. Now in the device Manager, expand your Display Adapters and right-click your Graphics Driver and then click on Update Driver.

   

3. Then select “Search Automatically For Updated Driver Software”

   

4. You can also use your graphics card manufacturer website to update the driver. This is a known issue for Laptops with Dual GPU and Optimus technology. If you are using such a laptop, then download the official Intel driver to fix the issue.
5. Also, Nvidia applications and drivers are known to create this issue. Uninstall all Nvidia applications/drivers and use Microsoft’s driver for your Graphics card to check if the problem is solved.
6. Repeat the same process to update the driver of your mouse located under Mice and Other Pointing Devices.
7. A good idea would be to update Windows, so that, all drivers are updated.

If nothing has helped you so far, then either perform a system restore or reset Windows. But before doing any, make sure the mouse is not faulty.