Encrypt/Decrypt Context menu for Creators Update?

I used to use the following very helpful tweak since Win7 to enable a encrypt/decrypt context menu in the file explorer prior to the creators update:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"EncryptionContextMenu"=dword:00000001

However since the creators update, this tweak no longer works...

Does anyone know why or how to get the context menus back again? Thanks

So I guess there is no way to get this context menu back in the creator's update? Too bad...

Please pardon the thread necromancy, but when searching for an answer this is one of the first threads to show up. Anyway, I need that feature a lot, so here’s a workaround, but it's not pretty. Create two simple batch files somewhere (my example C:\Windows\Command):

>>> Encrypt.cmd

Code:

@echo off
title Encrypting "%*"
cipher /e "%*"
if not errorlevel 1 goto leave
echo {bell characters}
echo Failed to encrypt "%*"
pause
:leave

>>> Decrypt.cmd

Code:

@echo off
title Decrypting "%*"
cipher /d "%*"
if not errorlevel 1 goto leave
echo {bell characters}
echo Failed to decrypt "%*"
pause
:leave

Then add the following registry entries, using the directory where you put the cmd files:

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell]
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Decrypt]
@="Decryp&t"
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Decrypt\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\Command\\Decrypt.cmd %1"
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Encrypt]
@="Encr&ypt"
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\Encrypt\command]
@="C:\\Windows\\Command\\Encrypt.cmd %1"

HKCU should work fine too as far as I know, and I'm sure there are much fancier and more-elegant ways of doing it. The ampersands (&) are to mimic the original right-click menu quick keys. The cmd window popping up for a split second is a bit annoying. Still, it seems to work fine, even with multiple files selected and spaces in filenames, etc.

With any luck we'll get an actual fix for this someday.

Thanks for the post. Have been looking for a solution for a long time but somehow I missed that thread.

There is no information on why the original tweak doesn't work anymore. Generel OS changes or deliberately done by MS?

It looks like Microsoft has re-enabled encryption & decryption in the context menu. The option started showing up again when I right-click on folders, so I deleted my workaround registry keys (for files) and the right-click options are working as they did before the 2017 Fall update. (Of course, make sure you export the keys before deleting just in case it hasn't taken effect on your system yet, but I have my non-critical updates set to delay by a month as it is.)

Indeed, it does work now again with build 1803. Thanks for noticing and sharing this!

not having encrypt in the context menu is the default yes? Working on undoing some years worth of tweaking to condense everything only to the essentials and only done via 1 avenue. (before i used regfiles from all over, programs like winaero etc)

seems like most of my pc's have it, yet my barebones/stock VM does not. However my VM is on an insider build AND is a VM which limits some functionality so i figured id better ask :P

Berton said:

A default install/upgrade to Win10 on my Notebooks do not have Encrypt on the context menu but do have Turn on BitLocker on the right-click of the boot/C: drive.

ok great. thanks for confirming. thats pretty much exactly what i was seeing on the VM so we'll call that conclusive :P