How to add Photoshop to the New Context Menu option on Windows 10
You can add any app to the New context menu option. It’s fairly simple to do though it requires an edit to the Windows registry. There are apps that allow you to edit the Context Menu via a GUI and if you’re not comfortable tinkering with the registry, they’re a good alternative. For the most part, the registry edit and these apps work great except for when you want to add Photoshop to the New Context Menu option.
With Photoshop, you can create different types of files i.e., files that have different canvas sizes. There is no default canvas size in Photoshop and for each new file that you create, you have to first specify the size of your canvas. This is what prevents the app from being added to the New context menu option via the usual tricks. Here’s how to get it working.
Photoshop Template
In order to add Photoshop to the New Context Menu option, you need to create a template file. A template file is basically an ordinary Photoshop file that has nothing in it except one layer with a preset canvas size that you will set.
Open Photoshop and create a new file. Select the canvas size, and then save it as a PSD. Give it any name. It won’t matter what it’s called since the name will not show up in the New option in the Context Menu.
Once you’ve created the file, open the following location and paste it there. You will need admin rights to do this.
C:\Windows\ShellNew
Edit Windows Registry
Open the registry editor and go to the following location;
Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.psd
Expand the .psd key. There should be a ShellNew key under it. If it isn’t there, create it by right-clicking the .psd key and selecting New>Key from the context menu.
Once you’ve created the ShellKey, right-click inside the pane on the right and select New>String Value. Name this value NullFile.
Again, right-click inside the right pane and select New>String Value. Name this value FileName. Double click it and enter the complete path to the template file that you moved to the C:\Windows\ShellNew folder. It should look like;
C:\Windows\SHELLNEW\TemplateFileName.psd
Once you’ve done that, close the registry and right-click any where. The New option in the context menu will list Photoshop as an option. If it doesn’t appear, restart File Explorer.
To restart File Explorer, open the Task Manager and look for Windows Explorer on the Processes tab. Select it, and click the Restart button at the bottom.
