Open with++ is a free system utility program that lets you add custom menu items to the “Open with” option for files and programs when you use the context menu. Developed by stax76, this tool is a shell extension for command-line entries, giving you more options whenever you right-click on a file that you can open or run. Take note that this software requires a few programs to be preinstalled before its own installation.

Additional options

Also stylized as “OpenWithPlusPlus,” the Open with++ tool basically offers more actions you can do whenever you open up the context menu, which is a pop-up that shows up whenever you interact with a user interface. In this case, you right-click on a file or program with your mouse and it displays an option called “Open with.” However, this action can be limited by what’s available; some items can’t even be opened by any applications you have.

With this tool, however, you can easily add, remove, and even clone commands onto its pop-up menu. Take note that this doesn’t actually add programs to the “Open with” list—instead, you get a new option on the context menu called “Open with++” underneath the first one. To add commands to this option, simply use the Add tab to assign a menu entry a name and then create a list with all the file extensions affected by it.

The next step is to enter the path to the executable that should be used to access the chosen formats. Afterward, enter a list of arguments. You can also define the working directory and choose an icon to personalize it. There are various other features available for customizing your menu entries and their functions. However, this program depends on you knowing commands in the first place—it doesn’t have a built-in tutorial for beginners.

Needs command-line knowledge

All in all, Open with++ is a great customization tool for adding more options when you open files or apps. It’s not too beginner-friendly and lacks any built-in guide to help you create custom entries though. Fortunately, there are plenty of online tutorials available so you can start creating your own personalized commands. If you’re looking to expand your context menu’s actions, this is a recommended free software to try out.