How to Add a Hash Value to the Context Menu of Files in Windows 11 Check your files to ensure a safe software installation. Here’s how to add a hash value to the File Explorer context menu in Windows 11. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Why Add a Hash Value to File Explorer Context Menu Verifying whether a file is authentic or suspicious can be time-consuming, especially for admins managing multiple endpoints across systems. Fortunately, Windows 11 simplifies the process by letting users add a hash generator tool o the File Explorer context menu. Here are the three methods to do just that. Methods to Add a Hash Value Method 1 - Registry Editor Let’s begin with the Registry Editor method. Open Registry Editor by pressing Windows key + R, typing regedit, and pressing Enter. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell, and create a new key named Hash with CertUtil. Inside this key, create a new String Value named Icon, with the value: shell32.dll,-152 Then, create a subkey named command, and set the default value to cmd.exe /k certutil -hashfile “%1” SHA256. To verify that the hash option was added, right-click any file and look for “Hash with CertUtil.” To delete the hash tool, simply navigate to the Registry Editor and delete the Hash with CertUtil key. Method 2 - PowerShell For automated deployment, you may use PowerShell or a .REG file. PowerShell is ideal for enterprise environments. Simply run PowerShell with administrator privileges and use the script: Method 3 - .REG File Using a .REG file is ideal for small-scale deployments. Open Notepad and use the script shown on-screen. Save the file as “AddHashContext.reg”, then merge it to apply the changes. How to Check if Hash Value is Added To check if the tool has been added to the menu, simply right-click on a file in File Explorer, and you should see the newly added “Hash with CertUtil” option in the context menu. Clicking on it should open a Command Prompt window with your file’s SHA256 hash. With this tool, you can ensure that your files are authentic and unaltered. For more information, check out our official blog post on How to Add a Hash Value to the Context Menu in Windows 11, linked in the description below.