Software Alternatives & Startups

Virtual Piano UWP VS ShellNewHandler

Compare Virtual Piano UWP VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

Virtual Piano UWP

Virtual Piano is a MIDI tool based on the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth that can play 128 instruments, chords, and percussion instruments.

Rating
0 reviews
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 2
Music popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Virtual Piano UWP
ShellNewHandler
Website github.com sourceforge.net
Listed in

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Virtual Piano UWP
ShellNewHandler

Overall verdict

  • Virtual Piano UWP is a solid, free, open-source app for anyone wanting a simple piano on their Windows device. Being on GitHub means it's transparent, community-driven, and continually improvable, making it a trustworthy choice for casual music-making and learning.

Why this product is good

  • It's free and open-source, so there are no hidden costs and you can inspect or contribute to the code
  • As a UWP app, it integrates cleanly with Windows 10/11 and offers a touch-friendly interface for tablets and touchscreens
  • Being hosted on GitHub means active community involvement, transparency, and the ability to report issues or request features
  • Lightweight and easy to install, making it accessible for beginners who just want to try playing piano
  • Supports keyboard input, allowing you to play notes without needing a physical MIDI device

Recommended for

  • Beginners learning basic piano and music theory
  • Windows touchscreen and tablet users who want a portable virtual instrument
  • Hobbyists and casual musicians looking for a free, no-frills piano app
  • Developers interested in an open-source project they can study or contribute to
  • Anyone needing a quick way to test melodies or chords without hardware

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Virtual Piano UWP
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Virtual Piano UWP and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Virtual Piano UWP 0 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions

Tracking Virtual Piano UWP since Jul 2025.

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to Virtual Piano UWP and ShellNewHandler

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