How to Add Aero ON / OFF Shortcuts in Desktop and My Computer Context Menu in Windows Vista and Later

in Windows Vista and later, whenever you want to turn Aero process ON or OFF to enable or disable Aero glass effect, you have to do it either from Desktop Properties or from System properties. But did you know there is a very easy shortcut to do it within seconds?

Here are 2 commands to turn Aero ON / OFF which are used by Windows Vista and later:

You can give the commands in RUN dialog box or Start Menu Searchbox. You can also create their shortcuts on Desktop or Quick Launch or wherever you want. It can become quite handy in lots of situations like a software has disabled Aero because it was not compatible with Aero or if you are running out of battery in your laptop, etc.

You can also add these commands in Desktop context menu or My Computer context menu. e.g. when you’ll right-click on Desktop or My Computer icon, you’ll find the shortcuts of “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” there.

Following is a step-by-step tutorial to Add “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” options in Desktop and My Computer Context Menu:

Add “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” in Desktop Context Menu:

1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

2. Right-click on the “Shell” key and select “New -> Key“.

3. Give it name Aero ON.

4. Now create another key under “Aero ON” with the name “command” and in right-side pane set value of “Default” to:

If the above command doesn’t work for you, you can use following command as value:

5. Now repeat steps 2-4 to add “Aero OFF” option, i.e. Right-click on the “Shell” key and select “New -> Key“.

6. Give it name Aero OFF.

7. Now create another key under “Aero OFF” with the name “command” and in right-side pane set value of “Default” to:

If the above command doesn’t work for you, you can use following command as value:

8. That’s it. Now you’ll get both “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” options in Desktop Context Menu.

Add “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” in My Computer Context Menu:

1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box and press Enter. Now go to:

2. Right-click on the “Shell” key and select “New -> Key“.

3. Give it name Aero ON.

PS: If you receive error message while creating new key, take ownership of the “Shell” key with the help of following tutorial:

[Guide] How to Take Ownership (Permission) of a Registry Key in Windows?

4. Now create another key under “Aero ON” with the name “command” and in right-side pane set value of “Default” to:

If the above command doesn’t work for you, you can use following command as value:

5. Now repeat steps 2-4 to add “Aero OFF” option, i.e. Right-click on the “Shell” key and select “New -> Key“.

6. Give it name Aero OFF.

7. Now create another key under “Aero OFF” with the name “command” and in right-side pane set value of “Default” to:

If the above command doesn’t work for you, you can use following command as value:

8. That’s it. Now you’ll get both “Aero ON” and “Aero OFF” options in My Computer Context Menu.

NOTE: There is also another similar command “Rundll32 dwmApi #105” which is used to run “Flip 3D“. You can also add it in My Computer or desktop Context Menu by following the above mentioned steps.

Also check:

Restarter: Restart Explorer, Uxsms Service and Kill Not Responding Tasks in Windows

[AIO] Ultimate Tutorial to Customize My Computer Context Menu in Windows