It can be frustrating to first remove an item and then have to remove it again from the Recycle Bin, just so you can create some free space. To avoid this, you can permanently delete an item. Of course, the items that are permanently deleted are unrecoverable, but we are usually aware that certain items will never be needed again. Thus, permanently removing them won’t be an issue. One way of permanently deleting an item on a Windows PC is by pressing the Shift + Delete hotkeys simultaneously, which will permanently delete a selected item. Another way is through the context menu, where you will only need to use the mouse and a single hand (in case you are busy eating with the other one). However, you must manually add the option of “Permanently Deleting” an item into the context menu by tweaking the Windows Registry. In this post, we are going to show you 2 methods to add the “Permanently Delete” option in the context menu. These methods are valid for both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Before we begin learning how to add the “Permanently Delete” option in the context menu, we would like to bring to your attention that you will still be prompted with a confirmation dialog box stating the following: You can either be good with it or disable the “Show more options” in the context menu and restore the old one to be able to directly access the “Permanently Delete” option.
Add “Permanently Delete” Option to Windows Context Menu
Using .REG Files
The first method is rather easy. All you need to do is download the Windows Registry file to add the “Permanently Delete” option to the context menu and run it on your PC. This .REG file will automatically make the necessary changes to the system registries. We have also shared a file in case you want to remove the option in the future. Click on the respective links below to download the .REG files. Add Permanently Delete To Context Menu Top.reg (247 bytes, 105 hits) Add Permanently Delete To Context Menu Bottom.reg (256 bytes, 104 hits) Remove Permanently Delete From Context Menu.reg (115 bytes, 89 hits) The “Add Permanently Delete To Context Menu Top” will add the option to the top of the context menu, whereas the “Add Permanently Delete To Context Menu Bottom” will add it towards the bottom of the menu. To remove the option from the context menu, download the “Remove Permanently Delete From Context Menu” .REG file. Once downloaded, follow these steps to execute the file: A system restart will not be required. You can now check that the “Permanently delete” option will now be added or removed from the context menu, depending upon which file you executed.
Using Registry Editor
If you would rather go through the manual process of making changes to the Windows Registry, this is the way to go. Although, the steps below perform the same task as the .REG files above. Note: Misconfiguration of critical values in the system’s registry could be fatal for your operating system. Therefore, we insist that you create a system restore point before proceeding forward with the process. You do now need to restart the computer to implement the changes. Name this new key Windows.PermanentDelete. Name this string CommandStateSync and do not enter a value for this string. Name this string ExplorerCommandHandler and enter its Value Data {E9571AB2-AD92-4ec6-8924-4E5AD33790F5}. You can now check that the “Permanently delete” option will now be added to the context menu. In the case you want to remove this option in the future, you can either run the respective .REG file shared above, or delete the Windows.PermanentDelete key from the Windows Registry.
Closing Words
The option to permanently delete an item from the context menu makes our lives easier, as we now only need one hand to perform the task, and does not require a keyboard. Adding this option to the context menu is especially beneficial in removing unwanted databases from servers with no keyboards, and all the support engineer needs to do is connect a mouse. Additionally, permanently deleting items will save space on your hard drive. That said, we recommend that you only permanently remove the items you know for a fact will not be needed later, or that you already have a backup of.
