Context menu

The term context menu is commonly used for list menus which pop up when clicking with the right mouse button in the client area of a computer application. Keyboards with Microsoft-keys also have an additional key that opens context menus in Windows applications.

Context menus are sometimes hierarchically organized, allowing navigation through different levels of the menu structure. The implementations differ: Microsoft Word was one of the first applications to only show sub-entries of some menu entries after clicking an arrow icon on the context menu, otherwise executing an action associated with the parent entry. This makes it possible to quickly repeat a previous action with the same parameters, or to better separate options from actions.

Context menus have received some criticism from usability analysts when improperly used, as some applications make certain features only available in context menus, which may confuse even experienced users (especially when they are only active in a limited client area).

Example for a context menu taken from the word processor Microsoft Word. The menu will expand when the user moves his mouse over an entry with an arrow (after a short delay). In the case of the "Cell alignment" entry, if the user clicks the entry immediately, the last cell alignment action, as indicated by the entry icon, will be repeated, if he clicks the arrow or waits, the menu will expand (he can still choose the last action by clicking the entry). In more common context menus, clicking the entry itself will accomplish nothing, or at most expand the menu immediately.