Disclosed herein are computer-implemented method, system, and computer-program product (computer-readable storage medium) embodiments for contextual deep expansion in user-interface trees. An embodiment includes configuring at least one computer processor to perform operations that include accessing, in a hierarchical data structure, a first-level data structure including a first group of one or more first-level elements, and a second-level data structure including second group of one or more second-level elements, and a third-level data structure including third group of one or more third-level elements. An embodiment may further include operations of presenting, via an interface, a handle corresponding to at least the third group and the given second-level element, in response to a first input event configured to expand the first-level data structure, and deeply expanding a presentation of the hierarchical data structure, in response to the second input, to show at least some elements of the first, second, and third groups.