How to Fix: Send To Menu Missing (XP, Vista, 7, 8)

Infopackets Reader Brian H. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

Somehow, my 'Send To' context menu option has disappeared. For example, if I go to My Computer and then browse the C drive, I can usually right-click an icon (which then brings up a menu), and then I can select 'Send To -> Desktop' - but the Send To context menu is missing. I've searched Google and came across several Windows Registry fixes, but they don't seem to work on my computer. How can I fix the missing Send To menu? Also, how can I add the missing shortcuts to the Send To menu? "

My response:

This is a frequently asked question. I'm not sure what causes the Send To menu to disappear, but I can tell you that the Send To menu is actually a folder that resides inside of your Windows User folder. In fact, you can customize the shortcuts in the Send To context menu if you like, and I'll also explain how to do that in Step 3.

You can fix the Send To menu by doing the following:

• Step 1: Reinstate the Send To Context Menu Registry Entry
• Step 2: Reinstate Send To Context Menu Folder Structure
• Step 3: Populate and Customize the Send To Folder

Note that the fix I describe below will work on Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8 (and most likely 10).

How to Fix: Missing SendTo Context Menu

Step 1: Reinstate Send To Context Menu Registry Entry

The first thing you need to do is to reinstate your registry for the Send To menu. I have verified that the registry entry below is valid on Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8.

To do so:

1. Click Start -> Programs -> Accessories, then click Notepad.
    
2. Use your mouse to highlight the text below, then right click over top of the highlighted text and select "Copy". This will copy the text into your clipboard:
   
   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Send To]
   @="{7BA4C740-9E81-11CF-99D3-00AA004AE837}"
    
3. Now, go to the notepad window and then click Edit -> Paste. This should paste what you just copied in the previous step into Notepad. If it does not, then repeat the previous step.
    
4. Next, click the File -> Save inside of Notepad, then save the file to your desktop. Name the file "sendtofix.reg" (no quotes). It's important that the filename ends in .REG or the file won't work in the next step.
    
5. Go to your desktop and look for the "sendtofix.reg" file you just created. Use your mouse to highlight the file (left click), then press Enter on the keyboard. This will execute the file; when prompted, agree to import the registry entry.
    
6. At this point you will need to reboot the computer. Bookmark this page, save any open documents you may have, then restart the computer.

After the computer restarts, come back to this page using your bookmark, then proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Reinstate Send To Context Menu Folder Structure

The next step is to ensure that your Send To folder exists.

For Windows XP:

1. Click Start -> Run, then type in "cmd" (no quotes) and press Enter.
    
2. A black command prompt window will open. Highlight the text below, then right click over top of it and select "Copy":
   
   mkdir %userprofile%\SendTo
    
3. Go to the command prompt window and right click inside of it and select "Paste" from the dialogue menu. The command you copied in the previous step should have output to the command line. If it does not, repeat the previous step and try again.
    
4. Press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command you paste in the previous step. If you receive an error message stating: "A subdirectory or file c:\Users\yourUserName\SendTo already exists," ignore the error.

For Windows Vista, 7 and 8:

1. Click Start, then type in "cmd" (no quotes); wait for CMD.EXE or "Command Prompt" to appear in the list, and then right click over top if it and select "Run as Administrator."
    
2. A black command prompt window will open. Highlight the text below, then right click over top of it and select "Copy":
   
   mkdir %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
    
3. Go to the command prompt window and right click inside of it and select "Paste" from the dialogue menu. The command you copied in the previous step should have output to the command line. If it does not, repeat the previous step and try again.
    
4. Press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command you paste in the previous step. If you receive an error message stating: "A subdirectory or file C:\Users\yourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo already exists," ignore the error.

Proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Populate and Customize the Send To Folder

The next step is to verify and / or populate shortcuts inside the Send To folder.

For example, a very popular (and very useful) Send To shortcut is the Send To -> Desktop shortcut. I'll explain how to add the Send To -> Desktop context menu here, and then you can add whatever other items you may want (such as Notepad, or MS Word, for example).

To do so:

1. In Windows XP, click Start -> Run; in Windows Vista, 7, and 8, click Start.
    
2. Type in: "shell:sendto" (no quotes) and press Enter on the keyboard.
    
3. A new window should appear, and you will either see some shortcuts (such as Desktop, Mail Recipient, Documents), or it will be blank. If it is blank, then you will need to add some shortcuts, described in the proceeding steps.
    
4. To add the "Desktop" to the Send To menu context, you will need to copy the Desktop shortcut to your Send To folder. To do so: click Start -> Run (Windows XP), or click Start (Windows Vista, 7, and 8) and then type in: "%userprofile%" (no quotes) and press Enter on the keyboard. This should bring up a new window that looks similar to: c:\users\yourUserName (where yourUserName is your Windows user name).
    
5. Inside the list of folders here you should see a shortcut to Desktop. Right click over this shortcut and select Copy from the dialogue menu. Then, navigate to your Send To window (which is either blank or consists of Send To menu items) and click File -> Paste. This should paste the Desktop shortcut into your Send To folder.
    
6. Copy and paste more shortcuts as you see fit into your Send To folder. For example, you might like to place a shortcut to Notepad or MS Word, as these are very useful shortcuts to have.

Once you've finished placing shortcuts into your Send To folder, you should be able to right click on an icon somewhere on the desktop and use the Send To menu dialogue.

Additional 1-on1 Help: From Dennis

If all of this is over your head, or you still can't get the Send To context menu to appear, I can assist you using remote desktop support. Simply contact me and we'll set up a time to meet and discuss your options.

Got a Computer Question or Problem? Ask Dennis!

I need more computer questions. If you have a computer question -- or even a computer problem that needs fixing -- please email me with your question so that I can write more articles like this one. I can't promise I'll respond to all the messages I receive (depending on the volume), but I'll do my best.

About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.