“Pin to Start” and “Include in library” are built-in Windows right-click entries that come from shell extension handlers registered on folders, drives and programs. You can remove them by deleting or blocking those handlers in the registry, and both can be put back later. If you would rather not edit the registry by hand, ContextCleaner from Automata Labs lists every right-click entry with its source, hides the ones you choose, and saves a backup before every change.
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Where do “Pin to Start” and “Include in library” come from?
Both are Windows features, not third-party add-ons, and both are implemented as shell extension handlers. A handler is a small piece of code registered under a file type or object type in the registry, and Explorer asks it what to add to the menu when you right-click.
Shawn Brink’s Windows 11 Forum tutorials, which publish the exact registry entries behind each item, show where they live:
| Menu entry | Handler key name | Registered on | Where it shows in Windows 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pin to Start | PintoStartScreen | Programs (exefile), folders, website shortcuts and console snap-ins (mscfile) | Appears on folders and programs |
| Include in library | Library Location | Folders and drives | Under “Show more options” by default |
The Pin to Start handler uses the class ID {470C0EBD-5D73-4d58-9CED-E91E22E23282}, and Include in library uses {3dad6c5d-2167-4cae-9914-f99e41c12cfa}.
What happens if I remove “Pin to Start”?
Removing the right-click entry does not remove the Start menu feature. The Add or Remove Pin to Start Context Menu tutorial notes that “this will not affect the Pin to Start context menu in the Start menu.” In other words, you can still right-click an app inside Start and pin it from there. You just lose the shortcut of pinning folders, drives and programs from File Explorer.
That is the trade-off to weigh. If you pin folders to Start regularly, keep it. If you never do and the entry keeps catching your eye next to Pin to taskbar or Pin to Quick access, it is a reasonable one to remove.
How do I remove “Pin to Start” with the registry?
Export the affected registry keys before changing anything, and keep the matching restore instructions. These are machine-wide edits: use an administrator account only on a device you are authorized to manage. The tutorial’s removal file does two things for all users:
- It deletes the PintoStartScreen handler key under four object types:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Microsoft.Website\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mscfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\PintoStartScreen- It adds the handler’s class ID as a blocked shell extension:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked
"{470C0EBD-5D73-4d58-9CED-E91E22E23282}"=""After merging, the tutorial says to restart the Explorer process, sign out and back in, or restart the PC. Inspect a downloaded .reg file before merging it. If Windows or your organization’s policy blocks the file, review the reason rather than disabling security controls to force it through.
To restore the entry, the matching “add” file recreates the four keys with the same class ID and removes the value from the Blocked key. Keep a note of what you changed, because the Blocked entry is easy to forget and will keep the handler off even if you recreate the other keys.
What happens if I remove “Include in library”?
Libraries are virtual views that gather folders from several places. Microsoft’s Windows libraries documentation describes them as “virtual containers for users’ content” and notes that “including a folder in a library doesn’t physically move or change the storage location” of the files. Microsoft’s instructions for seeing them in File Explorer are to open Options, select the View tab and turn on Show libraries, so many people never use them at all, yet the menu entry is still there on every folder and drive.
Removing the entry does not remove libraries. The Add or Remove “Include in library” Context Menu tutorial points out that “you will still be able to add folders and drives in a library’s properties page.” So if you use libraries occasionally, you lose nothing but a shortcut.
How do I remove “Include in library” with the registry?
This one is simpler. The tutorial’s removal file deletes the Library Location handler from two places, again for all users and with administrator rights:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\Library Location
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Folder\ShellEx\ContextMenuHandlers\Library LocationTo restore it, recreate both keys with the default value set to the class ID {3dad6c5d-2167-4cae-9914-f99e41c12cfa}.
Before deleting any key, export it first. In Registry Editor, right-click the key, choose Export, and save the .reg file somewhere safe. That export is your undo.
What are the risks of editing these keys by hand?
Both tutorials document removal and restoration, but manual edits carry the usual risks:
- Typos in long paths. A mistake in a path can delete the wrong key, and Registry Editor has no undo.
- Forgetting what you changed. Months later, a missing menu item is hard to trace back to a .reg file you merged once.
- The Blocked list. Blocking a class ID affects that handler everywhere it is registered, which is the point here, but it is also why a later “add” attempt can seem not to work.
- Updates. A feature update can re-register built-in handlers, so a removed entry may come back.
For a deeper look at how handler entries differ from simple verb entries, see our guide to context menu items that are not where you expect in the registry.
How does ContextCleaner handle built-in entries like these?
ContextCleaner is a Windows app for cleaning up the right-click menu without hand editing the registry. According to its Microsoft Store listing:
- One list for every surface. It “finds every right-click entry across all four Windows menu surfaces in one list,” covering both the Windows 11 modern menu and the classic “Show more options” list, which is where Include in library lives.
- Clear sources. It shows which app, DLL or package added each entry and which file types it affects, so you can see that Pin to Start and Include in library are Windows components, not something you installed.
- Warnings for built-ins. It gives friendly warnings before you switch off a built-in Windows component, so you know when you are changing Windows behavior rather than removing third-party clutter.
- Backups and undo. It saves an automatic backup before every change, offers one-click restore from any earlier snapshot, and keeps undo and redo history even after you close the app.
- Confirmation before writing, which you can turn off once you are comfortable.
- Search, filter and bulk changes, plus a Ctrl+K command palette.
See where every right-click entry comes from, and switch it off with a way back.
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The listing says ContextCleaner is made for Windows 11 and also works on Windows 10 version 22H2. Because the change history stays on your PC, you can always see later why an entry is missing, which solves the “what did I change months ago” problem.
Which other entries are often removed alongside these?
People who remove Pin to Start and Include in library are usually trimming built-in entries they never use. Related guides on this site:
- Remove “Add to Favorites” from the right-click menu, another built-in entry many people never use.
- Show more options in Windows 11, for what lives in the classic menu and why.
- Clean up the Windows 11 right-click menu without the registry, for a broader cleanup plan.
Frequently asked questions
Will removing “Pin to Start” stop me pinning apps to Start?
No. The tutorial notes it does not affect the Pin to Start option inside the Start menu itself. You can still pin apps from Start’s All list.
Does removing “Include in library” delete my libraries?
No. Libraries and their folders stay as they are, and you can still add folders through a library’s properties page.
Do I need admin rights?
Yes, for the registry method. Both tutorials make the change for all users and require an administrator account.
Why did the entry come back?
A Windows update can re-register built-in handlers, or a restore file may have been merged. Check the keys again, and for Pin to Start, check the Shell Extensions\Blocked key.
Can ContextCleaner bring the entries back later?
Its listing describes an automatic backup before every change, one-click snapshot restore and persistent undo and redo, so you can reverse a change you made with it.
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Get ContextCleaner from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and the Store listing shows the current price.
Trim built-in and third-party right-click clutter, with every change reversible.
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Microsoft, Windows and File Explorer are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. ContextCleaner is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or the Windows 11 Forum.
Last updated 24 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.