Fortunately, to fill the void, there are numerous third-party system tray menu apps for Windows 11 that enable you to do so. Here is how you can add system tray menus to Windows 11 with FlashTray Pro 5 and TrayLauncher.
How to Add a Menu to the System Tray With FlashTray Pro 5
FlashTray Pro 5 is a lightweight freeware app that will work on most Windows platforms. That app adds a customizable menu to your system tray. It also incorporates additional highlighter, character map, and screen magnifier tools you can utilize. You can download and install FlashTray Pro 5 like this.
Open the FlashTray Pro 5 webpage in your browser. Click Download Now on FlashTray Pro 5’s webpage. After downloading the app, press Win + E. Navigate to and open the folder that includes the FlashTray Pro 5 setup wizard. Double-click FlashTraySetup to open it. Click Next to continue. Select the I accept agreement radio button and click Next again. Click Browse to choose a folder path for FlashTray Pro 5, and select the Next option. Select the Create a desktop icon option, and press the Next button. Now press the Install button. Then click the FlashTray Pro desktop shortcut to run the software.
Now you’ll see a FlashTray Pro icon in your system tray. Click that icon to open the system tray menu shown directly below. That menu already includes My Computer and Network shortcuts, and you can add many more. You can also select Empty Recycle Bin and Minimize All Windows options there.
To add some software shortcuts to that menu, click Configure > Launcher. Type a program name in the Description box. Select the Insert option on the Launcher tab. Click the Program radio button. Then select the Browse for file/folder button, select a program, and click the Open button. Press the OK and Apply buttons to save the changes.
You can add a folder or document file shortcut to the FlashTray Pro menu much the same. Select either the Folder or Doc option on the Launcher tab instead. Then select a file or folder by clicking the Browse for button, click OK, and select the Apply option.
If you want to add some system shortcuts, click the System option. Then you can choose various system shortcuts on the drop-down menu. There you can select to add shutdown, Recycle Bin, reboot, and Control Panel shortcuts among others.
To add a website shortcut to the menu, select the URL radio button. Type a website name and URL in the Description and URL text boxes. Then click OK and Apply. You’ll find the webpage shortcut on FlashTray Pro 5’s Website submenu.
You can customize the menu by selecting Configure and Options, which will bring up the tab shown directly below. Click the Upper, Lower, and Text Color boxes to change the menu’s color scheme. Select the Large or No Icons settings to expand or remove the icons.
If you want FlashTray Pro 5 to start automatically, select its Run program as Startup option. Select Apply when you’re done.
How to Add a Menu to the System Tray With TrayLauncher
TrayLauncher is an alternative app with which you can set up custom system tray menus. Unlike FlashTray Pro 5, it is a portable app you can utilize on numerous PCs. You don’t need to install TrayLauncher, but you will need 7-Zip File Manager, or an alternative utility, to extract its 7z archive. This is how you can download TrayLauncher and extract its archive with 7-Zip.
Open the TrayLauncher Softpedia webpage in your favorite browser. Click Download Now, and select the Softpedia Mirror (US) option. Open the 7-Zip utility. Then navigate to the folder that includes the TrayLauncher 7z archive within 7-Zip. Select the TrayLauncherV2. 6. 0. 7z archive. Press the Extract button. Click the ellipsis button to choose a folder path to extract the archive to. Press the OK button. Close the 7-Zip window. Launch File Explorer by clicking its folder taskbar icon. Open the extracted TrayLaunchV2 folder. Click TrayLauncher to run it.
TrayLauncher doesn’t come with a default menu. So, you’ll need to set up a menu from scratch. To do so, right-click the TrayLauncher system tray icon and select Edit Command. The TrayLauncher Command Editor window will open, from which you can create your new menu.
You can add new programs and file shortcuts to the menu by clicking the button with the white file icon. Click the button by the Target Path box to select a program EXE. Then enter a software title in the Display Name box. Press the Save and Apply buttons to finish.
Thereafter, left-click the TrayLauncher icon on the system tray to bring up its menu. It will include all the software and file shortcuts you’ve added to it. Now you can select shortcuts on that menu to quickly open whatever software you need.
You can also add submenus to organize your system tray menu better. To do that, click the submenu button on the Edit Command window. Type in a title for the submenu within the Display Name box. Then you can add shortcuts to that submenu.
TrayLauncher doesn’t include a huge number of customization options. However, you can choose different skins for the menu. Right-click the TrayLauncher system tray icon and select the Select Skin option. Then choose an alternative skin on the submenu.
You’ll probably notice the Start With Windows option on TrayLauncher’s right-click menu. Select that option to add TrayLauncher to your startup programs. Then you won’t need to manually launch the program all the time after restarting your PC.
Read also: How to Add or Remove Startup Programs in Windows 11
Make Your Software More Accessible With a System Tray Menu
A system tray menu can be a great alternative place to add more shortcuts for your favorite software, websites, and files in Windows 11. Both FlashTray Pro 5 and TrayLauncher have all the options you’ll need to set up a handy system tray menu. With those apps, you can make all your more important software and files immediately accessible from Windows 11’s system tray.
