FreeFileSync in Explorer Contextmenu

Posts: 8 · milenke 23 Nov 2021, 10:41

I use FreeFileSync on two systems, which are nearly identical. (Win11)
On one system I have "Open" as default action on ffs_batch-files. A second entry is "edit with FreeFileSync".
On my other system there is not entry "edit with FreeFileSync".
How I get the entry to edit die ffs_batch?

mike

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 23 Nov 2021, 17:34

I exported my registry keys that add that option. If you are running 64-bit then you can just double-click the .reg file after downloading to import it into your registry. If FFS is installed in the C:\Program Files (x86)\ directory, then it won't. Let me know if that's the case.

Reminder: Don't trust random registry files on the internet, always feel free to open it in Notepad first to inspect what it does.
First SHA-256: 4F84DF59E993590E8B273DE7F1622A510940EBAED6BAF2316776B335D873AD2C
Second SHA-256: 5A0FDFAC3B3488249A5A1C20A6C0A2BE236462EACD23B1F9457ECD90BDA0A7C2

Posts: 8 · milenke 23 Nov 2021, 18:07

It is just the same which I have on both systems.
An hour ago I had a remote session with a friend and had to look in a ffs_batch file.
In the context menu was "Edit with FreeFileSync". Now I have the same problem - no "Edit with FreeFileSync". I think I am stupid.

mike

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 23 Nov 2021, 21:43

Is it the Windows 11 computer that is missing the option?

Posts: 8 · milenke 24 Nov 2021, 18:39

All Win11 systems
The contextmenu in Totalcommander ist ok.

mike

Posts: 7052 · Zenju 25 Nov 2021, 11:01

Apparently Windows 11 is messing with the context menu? https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-context-menu-fix-right-click/

Posts: 8 · milenke 25 Nov 2021, 12:01

On a Win10 system everything is correct "Open" as default, "Edit with FreeFileSync" as second entry.

In Win11 "Edit with FreeFileSync" is missing in the new and the "old" context menu on the main level.
But in "Open with" I have an entry "FreeFileSync - Folder Comparison an Synchronization" which opens the batch - but not edits. This is the description of the FreeFileSync.exe. "Edit with FreeFileSync" I now found in the "additional options" (new Win11 context menu).

Posts: 7 · th.rauner 4 Sep 2022, 20:19

I am on Windows 10 21H2 Build 19044, and am missing context entries, too. I checked against the reg-files provided by xCSxXenon, and everything seems alike (just with the difference that I installed in a different - non-system – utilities directory). I do not recall whether I chose a portable or a normal installation (how to distinguish?), when I first installed FFS long time ago. In the meantime updates are always just copying over the installation folder without problems.
Could it be a "portable" problem, and how could I fix this?

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 4 Sep 2022, 21:23

I am on Windows 10 21H2 Build 19044, and am missing context entries, too. I checked against the reg-files provided by xCSxXenon, and everything seems alike (just with the difference that I installed in a different - non-system – utilities directory). I do not recall whether I chose a portable or a normal installation (how to distinguish?), when I first installed FFS long time ago. In the meantime updates are always just copying over the installation folder without problems.
Could it be a "portable" problem, and how could I fix this? th.rauner, 04 Sep 2022, 20:19

You don't install the portable edition since it's a zip folder. If you ran an installer, it was for the normal version. If the registry entries are there, but just not showing up in the context menu, something is messed up with Windows

Posts: 7 · th.rauner 5 Sep 2022, 14:00

I see. So I will try an un-re-install and see if something changes. Thanks for clarification.

Posts: 7 · th.rauner 5 Sep 2022, 17:47

I don't want to be smart, but: When I (re)install FFS, the installer asks whether to install locally or portable.

After choosing "local" and finishing the installation - even into a non-system folder, all of the the missing context menue entries show up. Looks like the solution for me, and I am convinced that I chose "portable" before, so that some mechanism implemented the registry entries, but did not activate them. Maybe the author could clarify that. I am done for the moment and hope that the context menu entries survive the next reboots ;-).

: Choose installation type: local (recommended) / portable; FFS-Setup.png (20.61 KiB) Viewed 1342 times

Posts: 7052 · Zenju 6 Sep 2022, 07:10

The "Edit with FreeFileSync" context menu option is only created if you select "Local" installation type.

Posts: 7 · th.rauner 6 Sep 2022, 11:54

That's what I suspected, too. Thanks everybody!

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 6 Sep 2022, 14:25

The "Edit with FreeFileSync" context menu option is only created if you select "Local" installation type. Zenju, 06 Sep 2022, 07:10

What's the exact purpose of 'portable' in the installer?

Posts: 7052 · Zenju 6 Sep 2022, 14:34

The "Edit with FreeFileSync" context menu option is only created if you select "Local" installation type. Zenju, 06 Sep 2022, 07:10
What's the exact purpose of 'portable' in the installer? xCSxXenon, 06 Sep 2022, 14:25

To make people aware that it exists.

Posts: 2 · maxolotl 20 Feb 2024, 13:42

The "Edit with FreeFileSync" context menu option is only created if you select "Local" installation type. Zenju, 06 Sep 2022, 07:10

On my Win11 machines, all with local install, there is only "Open..." but no "Edit with FreeFileSync" in the main/simple/primary context menu of the windows file explorer. It only shows in the full context menu that can be accessed via "Show more option" which is at the bottom of the simple context menu.

Is there any way to bring "Edit with..." up into the simple context menu?

Cheers
Max

Posts: 7052 · Zenju 20 Feb 2024, 14:26

On my Win11 machines, all with local install, there is only "Open..." but no "Edit with FreeFileSync" in the main/simple/primary context menu of the windows file explorer. It only shows in the full context menu that can be accessed via "Show more option" which is at the bottom of the simple context menu.

Is there any way to bring "Edit with..." up into the simple context menu? maxolotl, 20 Feb 2024, 13:42

Are you questioning the omniscience of Microsoft who went to great length in Windows 11 to deliberately hide context menu items that clearly nobody would ever need? Everybody knows the more functions you remove the easier software becomes, and the better it gets, right! :>
https://www.pcgamer.com/windows-11-context-menu-fix-right-click/

Posts: 2 · maxolotl 20 Feb 2024, 15:15

Thanks a lot! I didn't think that was even an option so I did not search for it. I now also found that there are context menu editors which I will try out to tweak that stuff to my needs.

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 20 Feb 2024, 15:17

Would be great if you could easily choose what showed up in the "quick-menu"
Such a shame

Posts: 2283 · Plerry 20 Feb 2024, 16:18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xHNNGQcOng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVABQpp3K9w
And many more ...

Posts: 3603 · xCSxXenon 20 Feb 2024, 17:00

Yeah but those are still using the old context menu. I want a way to 'pin' context menu entries to the modern 'simplified' context menu, because I do agree that the old one is waaaay overcrowded

Posts: 2 · Tesseract2 5 Mar 2024, 01:23

You don't want to go down the rabbit hole of File Explorer context menus. The way items are added and the order in which they appear is completely FUBAR. I just wanted to group some items according to my own perception of the similarity of function, and have my most frequently used ones near the top, but Windows' priorities won't let you. I have installed, tried, and uninstalled so many so-called 'context menu editors' only to find that the best you'll get is to remove an entry, and perhaps re-instate it when you realised you made a mistake, or add some arcane but useful entries (startup options, take ownership, command line here etc.)
I'd pay good money for a proper editor that allows you to reorder the context menu. Sadly, I don't know enough about Windows to know if you can even hook into the CM processes, let alone code my own solution, and not even Directory Opus can manage this feat.