New+

An enhanced file creation context menu that lets you create files from templates directly in File Explorer.

New+ extends the Windows File Explorer “New” context menu with customizable file templates. Create files from your own templates with a single right-click.

Activation

1. Open Context Menu

   Right-click in any File Explorer window or on the desktop.

2. Navigate to New+

   Hover over New or New+ in the context menu.

3. Select Template

   Choose from your configured templates or built-in options.

4. Name File

   Enter a name for the new file and press Enter.

New+ appears as an enhanced version of the standard Windows “New” menu when enabled in PowerToys Settings.

Features

Custom Templates

Create files from your own templates instead of empty files.

Template Configuration

New+ uses a template folder where you store template files:

Default location: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\PowerToys\New+\Templates

Any file placed in this folder becomes available in the New+ menu.

1. Create Template

   Create a file with your desired content (e.g., template.md, script_template.py).

2. Add to Templates Folder

   Copy the file to your New+ templates directory.

3. Configure Settings

   Optionally customize the template name, icon, or visibility in PowerToys Settings.

4. Use Template

   Right-click in File Explorer > New+ > Select your template.

Variable Substitution

New+ supports variable replacement in template files.

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:37:

Available Variables

$PARENT_FOLDER_NAME - Name of the current folder

Example Template:

README Template

# $PARENT_FOLDER_NAME

Project description goes here.

## Installation

## Usage

## License

When created in a folder named “MyProject”, this becomes:

Generated File

# MyProject

Project description goes here.
...

Use variables to create context-aware templates that adapt to the current folder or project.

Template Organization

Flat Structure

Store all templates in the root templates folder:

Templates/
  template.md
  script.py
  config.json

All templates appear at the top level of the New+ menu.

Nested Folders

Organize templates in subfolders:

Templates/
  Documents/
    letter.docx
    report.docx
  Code/
    python_script.py
    javascript_module.js

Subfolders appear as submenu items in New+.

Configuration

Settings

Configure New+ in PowerToys Settings > New+:

Template Location

Setting: TemplateLocation

Customize where New+ looks for template files. Default is %USERPROFILE%\Documents\PowerToys\New+\Templates.

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:19

Hide File Extension

Setting: HideFileExtension

When creating files from templates, hide or show the file extension in the initial filename.

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:13

Hide Starting Digits

Setting: HideStartingDigits

Remove leading digits from template names when displaying in menu (useful for ordering templates).

Example: 01_markdown.md displays as markdown.md

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:15

Replace Variables

Setting: ReplaceVariables

Enable or disable variable substitution in template files.

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:17

Hide Built-in New Menu

Setting: BuiltInNewHidePreference

Hide the standard Windows “New” menu items and show only New+ templates.

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:21

Template Icons

New+ displays icons based on file type associations:

• Uses Windows file type icons automatically
• Custom icons via template configuration
• Light/dark theme support

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:29-35:

new_icon_light_resource_relative_path[] = L"\\Assets\\NewPlus\\New_light.ico";
new_icon_dark_resource_relative_path[] = L"\\Assets\\NewPlus\\New_dark.ico";

Use Cases

Development Workflows

Create pre-configured source files:

• Python scripts with standard imports
• React components with boilerplate
• Config files with defaults

Documentation

Quickly create documentation files:

• README templates
• API documentation
• Project proposals

Project Initialization

Start new projects with:

• License files
• .gitignore templates
• CI/CD configurations

Productivity

Common file patterns:

• Meeting notes templates
• Task lists
• Email drafts

Example Templates

Python Script Template

File: python_script.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
$PARENT_FOLDER_NAME - Script Description

Author: Your Name
Date: 2024
"""

import sys
import os

def main():
    """Main function."""
    pass

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Markdown Document

File: document.md

# Document Title

**Project:** $PARENT_FOLDER_NAME

**Date:** 2024-03-04

## Overview

## Details

## Conclusion

Git Configuration

File: .gitignore

# $PARENT_FOLDER_NAME - Git Ignore

# Python
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class
*.so
.Python

# Virtual environments
venv/
env/

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

HTML5 Boilerplate

File: index.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>$PARENT_FOLDER_NAME</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
            max-width: 800px;
            margin: 0 auto;
            padding: 2rem;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>$PARENT_FOLDER_NAME</h1>
    <p>Content goes here.</p>
</body>
</html>

JSON Configuration

File: config.json

{
  "name": "$PARENT_FOLDER_NAME",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "",
  "settings": {
    "enabled": true,
    "debug": false
  }
}

Advanced Features

Template Ordering

Control the order of templates in the menu by prefixing filenames with numbers:

Templates/
  01_readme.md
  02_license.txt
  03_gitignore.txt

With “Hide starting digits” enabled, the menu shows:

• readme.md
• license.txt
• gitignore.txt

Context Menu Integration

New+ integrates with File Explorer through a shell extension:

From source /src/modules/NewPlus/NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h:23-27:

context_menu_package_name[] = L"NewPlusContextMenu";
module_name[] = L"NewPlus.ShellExtension";

The shell extension is registered dynamically when PowerToys loads.

Troubleshooting

New+ Not Appearing in Context Menu

• Ensure New+ is enabled in PowerToys Settings
• Restart File Explorer: Right-click taskbar > Task Manager > Restart “Windows Explorer”
• Verify PowerToys is running
• Check that templates folder exists and is accessible

Templates Not Showing

• Verify template location setting points to correct folder
• Check that template files exist in the templates directory
• Ensure files are not hidden or system files
• Restart File Explorer after adding new templates

Variables Not Substituting

• Enable “Replace variables” in PowerToys Settings
• Verify variable syntax: $PARENT_FOLDER_NAME
• Check that template file is not read-only
• Some binary file formats may not support variable substitution

Icons Not Displaying

• File icons come from Windows file type associations
• Install applications that register icon handlers for custom file types
• Rebuild icon cache if icons appear corrupted

Source Code

Location: /src/modules/NewPlus/

• Shell extension: NewShellExtensionContextMenu/
• Constants and settings: NewShellExtensionContextMenu/constants.h
• Template utilities: NewShellExtensionContextMenu/new_utilities.cpp