Changing the MenuShowDelay value in Windows can accelerate the appearance of legacy menus, enhancing user interactions without affecting the Start menu.
Registry Modification Details
To make legacy Windows menus feel faster, edit the Windows Registry. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Double-click MenuShowDelay and set it to your desired value: 0 ms eliminates the delay entirely. Reboot or log out and back in to apply changes.
- Default MenuShowDelay: 400 ms
- Adjust to preferred delay: set to 0 ms for no delay
- Changes take effect after reboot or login renewal
Affected and Unaffected Menus
This modification impacts legacy Win32-style menus like extended context menus and certain file dialogs. However, it does not influence the modern Start menu. For the Start menu, disable animations in Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects to create a snappier feel.
These adjustments won't enhance hardware performance but effectively reduce perceived lag, making Windows feel more responsive.
