Snipping Tool is a handy utility in Windows allowing users to take quick screenshots of the screen. Though Snipping Tool was there from Windows 7, earlier there was also a Snip & Sketch app. However, Microsoft replaced the Snip & Sketch with Snipping Tool in Windows 11. Though the app is useful, sometimes it may not work properly or crash frequently. If you are facing problems in working with Snipping Tools here, we will explore what could cause the problem and how you can fix Snipping Tool not working issues in Windows 11 computers.
How Snipping Tool Works Windows 11?
Before you try to fix the issue, it is necessary to understand how the tool works in Windows 11.
- You can open the tool by searching from the Start menu app list or directly launch it in the capture mode by pressing “Windows + Shift + S” shortcut keys.
- Select the mode of capture to take the screenshot of the portion or entire screen.
- The captured screenshot will float on the display and also will show in the notification area.
- You can copy, edit, or annotate the picture and use wherever you want.
With the basic understanding of how Snipping Tools works, you can easily troubleshoot and fix the problem.
Possible Causes for Snipping Tool Issues
If Snipping Tool app is not working in Windows 11, it could have been caused by any of the below-mentioned reasons.
- You might have accidentally disabled notifications for the app or changed the settings to use different keyboard shortcut.
- Sometimes Focus Assist is turned on and stops the applications from opening, thinking it might cause a disturbance. Turning off Focus Assist and checking whether the application is working is always a good idea.
- The app might be corrupted and crashing when you launch or after taking a screenshot.
- It is a high possibility that you have not downloaded the latest Windows updates, and that could be causing the Snipping Tool failure. Windows updates come with certain patches to fix specific issues.
- It may sound like an odd reason, but your device’s auto time and date feature may have issues with the application’s digital certificate. This is especially a problem if you have upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 recently.
Fixing Snipping Tool Not Working Issues in Windows 11
There are two types of problems you may face – app is not working at all, and app opens but having problem with taking screenshots. You can try the following suggestions depending upon your issue and check if that helps to fix the app.
Important: If you are not shutting down the system for long-time, first make sure to shut down and restart the computer before you try these suggestions.
1. Ensure Shortcut is Correct
There are many ways in Windows to create a desktop shortcut or pin the app to taskbar. If you are not able to launch the app from your shortcut, then it might be a problem with your shortcut. First, delete your shortcut and go to “Start > All apps > Snipping Tool”. Drag the item and drop in your desktop or taskbar to create a proper shortcut. Alternatively, you can right-click on the item and select “Pin to Start” to add the item in your Start menu list.
As mentioned, “Windows + Shift + S” is the default keyboard shortcut to launch Snipping Tool app. If this shortcut does not work for you, then you can instead use the Print Screen key on your keyboard by changing the settings.
- Right-click on Start icon and select “Settings” from the menu list.
- This will open Windows Settings app and navigate to “Accessibility > Keyboard” section.
- Scroll down on the right-pane and turn on the switch against “Use the Print screen button to open screen snipping” option.
- Now, you can simply press the Print Screen key (you may see PrtSc or something like that on the key) on your keyboard to launch Snipping Tool.
Note: You can use apps like PowerToys to remap the default system keyboard shortcuts if you want need.
2. Repair or Reset the Snipping Tool Application
If the keyboard shortcuts are working fine, then the next option is to reset the app. Fortunately, Windows offers a default resetting function for the apps in Windows 11 which you can make use for this purpose.
- Go to “Start menu > All apps > Snipping Tool” and right-click on it. Select “More > App settings” option to directly open the settings page.
- Otherwise, you can press “Windows + I” keys to open the “Settings” app and navigate to “Apps > Installed apps” section. Scroll down the list or search and find Snipping Tool app. Click on the three dots showing at the end and select “Advanced options”.
- On the next page, scroll down and click on the “Repair” option. This will not delete any app data and you will see a progress bar showing the repair in progress. After successful repairing, you will see a tick mark indicating the repair is finished.
- If repairing does not solve your problem, then you can use the “Reset” option. However, this will delete all the app’s data and reset your app to its initial state.
You may need to restart your computer after repairing or resetting the application.
3. Uninstall and Reinstall from Microsoft Store
You can keep this as a last resort. We explain here as uninstall option is available on the same settings page where you can reset/repair the app.
- Click the “Uninstall” button showing below the “Reset” section.
- Restart your computer after uninstalling is completed.
- Now, open Microsoft Store app from Start menu.
- Search for “snipping tool” in the Store and install the app afresh in your system.
4. Enable Notifications, Disable Focus and Do Not Disturb Modes
Focus and DNB (Do Not Disturb) modes help to avoid distractions when you are doing important work. It means, enabling these setups will disable notifications and hence prevent Snipping Tool from showing the floating screen in notification. Though the tool will continue to work, you will not see the floating capture as notifications will not work.
- Press “Windows + I” keys to open Windows Settings app.
- Go to “System” tab and go to “Notifications” section.
- Turn on the “Notifications” and then disable “Do not disturb” options. Also, scroll down and make sure app level notifications are enabled for Snipping Tool.
- After that click on the “Focus” option. If you are currently running a Focus session, click the button to stop it.
Now, check the Snipping Tool shows the floating screen and also shows the captures in notification center.
5. Snipping Tool Not Saving Screenshots
By default, the Snipping Tool app will save all the screenshots in “C:\Users\<Username>\Pictures\Screenshots” folder. If you missed the floating capture and cleared the notifications, then you can always go this folder and find the captured items. However, this works only when you have enabled an option in the app’s settings.
- Open Snipping Tool app from “Start menu > All apps” list or search and open the app.
- Click on three dots showing in top right corner of the app and select “Settings” option.
- This will open app’s settings page and enable “Automatically save screenshots” option.
You can also allow the app to open multiple instances by enabling “Multiple windows” option from the settings page. This will help if you want to edit multiple captures at the same time in different app windows.
6. Check Windows Update
Sometimes Windows updates may have bugs affecting Snipping Tool. In such a case, Microsoft will release a patch to fix the issues. To ensure that you have the updated Windows version, go to “Settings” app, and then navigate to “Windows Update” section. Click on “Check for Updates” button to download and install any pending updates. After that, restart your system and check Snipping Tool is working fine.
7. Turn Off Automatic Time
By default, Windows will set the clock time automatically based on your settings. If you notice the Snipping Tool stopped working after Windows upgrade, then you can disable this feature and check if that helps.
- Go to Windows Settings app and click on the “Time & language” option.
- On the right-pane, click on “Date & time” option.
- If you see “Set time automatically” option is enabled, turn the switch off to disable it.
- If required, click on the “Change” button against “Set the date and time manually” option and setup the correct time for your system.
Now, restart the computer and press “Windows + Shift + S” keys to see if Snipping Tool works fine.
8. Enable Snipping Tool from Registry Editor
Old Windows versions had an option for disabling the Snipping Tool from Registry Editor. However, there are no such options available in Windows 11. If you are still using Windows 10 or older versions, then try this option.
- Press “Windows + R” keys and open Run prompt.
- Enter “ Regedit” in the text box and click “OK” button.
- Copy and paste the below path in the Registry Editor’s address bar and press enter to go to that location. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\SnippingTool
- Right-clock on the item “EnableSnippingTool” and select “Modify”
- On the pop-up that appears, enter the “Value data” as 1 and click “OK” button.
- Close the Registry Editor app and make sure to restart the system before checking the Snipping Tool is enabled.
Final Words
Snipping Tool is one of the useful utilities in Windows 11 to capture screenshots. However, it will be annoying if the tool does not work or crash when screen capturing. We hope the above listed solutions helped you to fix Snipping Tool not working issues in Windows 11.
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