One of the recent Paint updates introduced a redundant entry for Windows 11"s context menu, letting users edit images in Paint without using the "Open with" submenu (currently available only to Windows Insiders, but a stable release is expected soon). Context menus in Windows 11 are already controversial enough, and the latest Paint update does not make things any better. Fortunately, you can remove "Edit with Paint" from Windows 11"s context menus quite easily.
In fact, the procedure is the same as removing "Edit with Notepad" or "Edit with Photos." All you have to do is block a shell extension in Windows Registry. Here is how to do it.
Remove "Edit with Paint" from Windows 11 context menus
Note that the steps below require Administrator privileges.
- Press Win + R and type regedit. You can also launch Windows Registry Editor using any other preferred method.
- Paste the following in the editor"s address bar: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions. Use this path if you want to remove "Edit with Paint" for the current user only.
- If you want to remove "Edit with Paint" for all users, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions.
- Check if the Shell Extension key has a "Blocked" key inside it. If no, click Edit > New > Key and rename it to Blocked. If the "Blocked" key already exists, click it.
- With "Blocked" selected, click Edit > New > String Value.
- Rename the new value to {2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9}
- Changes will apply right away without restarting your computer or explorer.exe.
If you do not want to browse the jungles of Windows Registry, launch Notepad and paste the following (for the current user):
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked] "{2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9}"=- And this is for all users:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked] "{2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9}"=- Save the file as a .reg file and double-click it. Confirm the changes and restart your computer.
How to restore "Edit with Paint" in Windows 11
The changes above are not permanent, and you can restore the "Edit with Paint" option at any time. Here is how to do it:
- Open Windows Registry Editor.
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked (for the current user) or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked (for all users).
- Find the {2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9} value and delete it. Changes will be visible right away.
It is also worth noting that you can remove "Edit with Paint" by simply uninstalling the app. It is a quick and easy option for those who do not use Windows 11"s stock image editor.