Context menu

The context menu provides cell-level actions accessible by right-clicking. This page lists all available menu items and their configuration keys.

Enable the context menu with the default configuration:

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contextMenu: true,

To see the context menu, right-click on a cell. On touch devices, long-press a cell to open the context menu.

You can define the items in the menu by passing the contextMenu option as an array of keys:

Key	Action and required plugins
`row_above`	Insert a row above
`row_below`	Insert a row below
`col_left`	Insert a column to the left
`col_right`	Insert a column to the right
`---------`	Add a separator to the items in the menu
`remove_row`	Remove the selected row
`remove_col`	Remove the selected column
`clear_column`	Delete the data of the selected columns
`undo`	Undo the last action. Requires: `UndoRedo`
`redo`	Redo the last action. Requires: `UndoRedo`
`make_read_only`	Make the selected cells read-only
`alignment`	Align the text in the cell
`cut`	Cut the contents of the selected cells to the system clipboard. Requires: `CopyPaste`
`copy`	Copy the contents of the selected cells to the system clipboard. Requires: `CopyPaste`
`copy_with_column_headers`	Copy the contents of the selected cells and their nearest column headers. Requires: `CopyPaste` with `copyColumnHeaders` set to `true`
`copy_with_column_group_headers`	Copy the contents of the selected cells and all their related column headers. Requires: `NestedHeaders` and `CopyPaste` with `copyColumnGroupHeaders` set to `true`
`copy_column_headers_only`	Copy the contents of column headers that are nearest to the selected cells. Requires: `CopyPaste` with `copyColumnHeadersOnly` set to `true`
`freeze_column`	Freeze the selected column. Requires: `ManualColumnFreeze`
`unfreeze_column`	Unfreeze the selected column. Requires: `ManualColumnFreeze`
`borders`	Add borders around the selected cells. Requires: `CustomBorders`
`commentsAddEdit`	Add or edit a comment. Requires: `Comments`
`commentsRemove`	Remove the comment. Requires: `Comments`
`commentsReadOnly`	Make the comment read-only. Requires: `Comments`
`mergeCells`	Merge or unmerge the selected cells. Requires: `MergeCells`
`add_child`	Insert a child row. Requires: `NestedRows`
`detach_from_parent`	Detach the selected row from its parent row. Requires: `NestedRows`
`hidden_columns_hide`	Hide the selected columns. Requires: `HiddenColumns`
`hidden_columns_show`	Show the hidden columns. Requires: `HiddenColumns`
`hidden_rows_hide`	Hide the selected rows. Requires: `HiddenRows`
`hidden_rows_show`	Show hidden rows. Requires: `HiddenRows`
`filter_by_condition`	Add the first filter condition. Requires: `Filters`
`filter_by_condition2`	Add the second filter condition. Requires: `Filters`
`filter_operators`	Select a filter parameter. Requires: `Filters`
`filter_by_value`	Add a filter value. Requires: `Filters`
`filter_action_bar`	Apply the configured filter. Requires: `Filters`
`export_file`	Open the Export submenu with “To CSV” and “To Excel” items. Requires: `ExportFile`. The Excel item is hidden when no XLSX engine is configured.

To see the context menu, right-click on a cell. On touch devices, long-press a cell to open the context menu.

To fully customize the context menu, set contextMenu to an object with an items property. Each key in items identifies one menu entry. The value can be:

A predefined item key string such as 'row_above' — includes the built-in item unchanged.
The string '---------' — inserts a horizontal separator line.
A configuration object — defines a custom item or overrides a predefined one.

This means you can freely mix built-in items with custom ones in the same menu:

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contextMenu: {
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  // Optional: a shared callback fired on every item click.
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  callback(key, selection, clickEvent) {
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    console.log(key, selection, clickEvent);
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  },
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  items: {
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    row_above: {},                   // predefined item, unchanged
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    sp1: '---------',               // separator
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    row_below: {
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      name: 'Click to add row below', // override a predefined item's label
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    },
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    myOption: {                      // fully custom item
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      name: 'My custom action',
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      callback() { /* ... */ },
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    },
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  },
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},

The top-level object also accepts a uiContainer property (an HTMLElement) to control which DOM element the context menu is appended to.

Each configuration object in items can have these properties:

Option	Description
`key`	The unique identifier for the item. For top-level items, this is the key of the `items` object (for example `'row_above'` or `'myOption'`). For submenu items, it must follow the `parent_key:child_key` format (for example `'colors:red'`).
`name`	The label shown in the menu. Can be a `string` or a function returning a string. Supports HTML. When a function, `this` refers to the Handsontable instance.
`disabled`	Whether the item is grayed out and non-clickable. Can be a `boolean` or a function returning a boolean. When a function, `this` refers to the Handsontable instance.
`hidden`	Whether the item is hidden from the menu entirely. Can be a `boolean` or a function returning a boolean. When a function, `this` refers to the Handsontable instance.
`callback`	A function called when the item is clicked. Receives `key`, `selection`, and `clickEvent` as arguments.
`submenu`	Defines a nested submenu. Takes an object with an `items` array. Each submenu item’s `key` must follow the `parent_key:child_key` format.
`renderer`	A custom function for rendering the item’s HTML. Must return an `HTMLElement`.
`disableSelection`	When `true`, hovering over the item does not highlight it.
`isCommand`	When `false`, clicking the item does not execute a command or close the menu.

The following example shows how to:

Add a shared callback for all options
Dynamically disable an option
Override the label of a predefined option
Add a fully custom option with its own callback
Add a custom option with a submenu
Use a custom renderer

To see the context menu, right-click on a cell. On touch devices, long-press a cell to open the context menu.

Windows	macOS	Action	Excel	Sheets
`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`\` or `Shift`+`F10`	`⌘`+`⇧`+`\` or `⇧`+`F10`	Open the context menu	✗	✓
Long-press (touch devices)	Long-press (touch devices)	Open the context menu	✗	✓
Arrow keys	Arrow keys	Move one available menu item up, down, left, or right	✓	✓
`Page Up`	`Page Up`	Move to the first visible item of the context menu or submenu	✓	✗
`Page Down`	`Page Down`	Move to the last visible item of the context menu or submenu	✓	✗
`Escape`	`Escape`	Close the context menu or submenu	✓	✓
`Enter`	`Enter`	Run the action of the selected menu item	✓	✗