Windows 10 New Text Document Missing From Right-Click Menu: Bringing Back the Quick Way to Create Notes

You right-click on the desktop or inside a folder, point to New, and expect to see “Text Document.” The list shows Folder, Shortcut, and maybe Word or Excel files, but the text document option has gone. When Windows 10 New Text Document missing from the right-click menu, creating a quick note or config file takes more steps than it should.

The entries in the New menu come from small registry settings tied to each file type. For text files, Windows needs a “ShellNew” entry linked to the .txt extension. If a text editor, a cleanup tool, or a registry change replaced the .txt association, that entry can be lost.

This often happens after installing or removing slot a third-party editor, or after Notepad itself was removed as an optional feature.

Restoring the .txt association or recreating the ShellNew key brings the option back.

What Usually Triggers It

The option disappears for these reasons:

• A third-party editor changed the .txt file association.
• The ShellNew key for .txt was deleted.
• Notepad was uninstalled as an optional feature.
• A context menu cleaner removed New menu items.

Other New menu entries can vanish the same way, so the same fix applies to them.

First Steps to Try

Check Notepad and the file association.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Optional features and make sure Notepad is installed. Add it if it is missing.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Choose default apps by file type.
3. Find .txt and set it to Notepad.
4. Restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager.
5. Right-click the desktop and check the New menu again.

Some editors, such as Notepad++, offer an option during installation to replace Notepad for .txt files. If you chose that, the editor may need to restore its own “New” entry through its settings.

If the Problem Continues

Recreate the registry entry.

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt and make sure (Default) is set to txtfile.
3. Right-click the .txt key, choose New > Key, and name it ShellNew if it is missing.
4. Select ShellNew, right-click the right pane, choose New > String Value, and name it NullFile with no value.
5. Close the editor and restart Explorer.

A text file can also be created from Notepad with File > Save As while you sort out the menu.

Protect Your Data First

Export the .txt key before editing it, so you can undo changes. Avoid context menu cleaners that remove entries without showing you what they change.

The Bottom Line

A missing “New Text Document” option usually means the .txt association or its ShellNew key has changed. Reinstall Notepad if needed, reset the association, and recreate the ShellNew entry.