What are contextual menus?

Contextual menus, also called context menus in Windows, are pop-up menus that contain different items depending on the circumstances in which they appear. These menus can make it easier to do some common tasks.

Mac OS and Mac OS X

In Mac OS 8.0 and higher and Mac OS X, when you hold the Ctrl key down and click an item (e.g., an icon or window), a pop-up menu appears. It is called a contextual menu because its contents depend on the item clicked; the menu features a list of commands you can perform relative to, or within the context of, the clicked item. For example, if you Ctrl-click a file icon, you can choose to open it, open a Get Info or an Info window about it, give it a label, duplicate it, or make an alias of it. Other items will give you different menu options. Contextual menus appear with most items in the Finder, but won't necessarily be available in other applications.

Note: In Mac OS 8.0 through 9.x, contextual menus are not available if you are using the Simple Finder. Also, you must install the Contextual Menu Extension, which comes standard with Mac OS 8.0+.

If you are using a version of Mac OS older than 8.0, a few shareware applications provide functionality similar to contextual menus. One of these is PowerMenu.

Windows

In Windows 95 and later, you can access context menus by right-clicking an icon or window. The contents of the menu that appears depend on the item clicked, as well as the software or hardware installed. For example, WinZip includes some simple, commonly used functions in the context menu.

In Windows programs, items appearing in the context menu are almost always taken from the File, Edit, and View menus. Not all programs use context menus in all places, but it is an exceptionally rare program that has no context menus at all. In Windows itself, practically all icons on the desktop and on the hard drive have at least a basic context menu containing the options Create Shortcut, Cut, Paste, and Properties.

Also see:

• In Windows, what is the keyboard shortcut for opening the Start menu?
• In Windows, what is a shortcut, and how do I create one?
• In Mac OS and Mac OS X, what is the Simple Finder?
• In Mac OS and Mac OS X, what are spring-loaded folders?
• For Mac OS X, where can I download freeware, shareware, commercial software, and software updates?
• In Mac OS and Mac OS X, what is the Finder?
• In Windows, how can I add or delete devices in the Send To menu?