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Troubleshooting | Published Oct 13, 2026 | 7 min read

Snipping Tool Not Working on Windows 11? 9 Fixes

By Mohit Sehrawat

Snipping Tool Not Working on Windows 11? 9 Fixes — Edge Drop Guide

When Snipping Tool stops working on Windows 11, start by finding out what's broken: the shortcut, the app or the saving. If Win+Shift+S or Print Screen does nothing but the app opens from Start, the shortcut is the problem. If the app itself won't open or crashes, update it from the Microsoft Store, then Repair or Reset it in Settings > Apps > Installed apps, and reinstall it if that fails. If you take a snip and it seems to vanish, it's usually on the clipboard already: press Ctrl+V, and check the Screenshots folder in Pictures.

Which problem do you have?

What happensStart with
Win+Shift+S or Print Screen does nothing, but Snipping Tool opens from StartFixes 2 and 3
Snipping Tool won't open from Start, or closes straight awayFixes 4 to 8
The screen dims and you can snip, but the image goes missing"The snip worked but you can't find it"
No pop-up appears after a snipFix 9
It fails only on a work or school PC"On a managed PC" below

Fix 1: Close Snipping Tool and restart the PC

Close any open Snipping Tool windows, then restart Windows (not just sign out). A restart clears a stuck process and finishes any update that was waiting, and it's quick to rule out before changing settings.

Fix 2: Try the other ways to open it

This tells you whether the shortcut or the app is at fault.

  1. Open Start, type Snipping Tool and open it. Select New and take a snip.
  2. Press Windows logo key + Shift + S.
  3. Press PrtScn. In Windows 11, Microsoft lists it as selecting a region of the screen to capture to the clipboard, the same as Win+Shift+S.

If the app works from Start but neither shortcut does, another program has probably taken over the keys, or the Windows key itself isn't reaching Windows. Gaming keyboards with a Windows-key lock and key-remapping tools are common causes. Win+Shift+S not working goes through the shortcut-specific fixes in detail.

Fix 3: Check the Print Screen key setting and other screenshot apps

If only PrtScn misbehaves:

  1. Open Settings and search for Print screen.
  2. Make sure the option to use the Print screen key to open screen capture is turned on. Microsoft's Snipping Tool guide points to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard; on some Windows 11 builds the option sits under Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard instead.

With that option off, PrtScn copies the whole screen to the clipboard without opening anything, which can look as if Snipping Tool didn't respond.

Screenshot apps such as ShareX, Greenshot and Snagit can also register PrtScn or Win+Shift+S for themselves. Quit them one at a time from the system tray and test again. If one is the cause, change its hotkey in that app's settings.

Fix 4: Update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store

Snipping Tool is a Microsoft Store app and gets its updates there.

  1. Open Microsoft Store.
  2. Select Check for updates.
  3. Let Snipping Tool update, then try it again.

Also install pending updates in Settings > Windows Update and restart. Some people on Microsoft Q&A have reported Win+Shift+S and clipboard history breaking together after a Windows update; if Win+V is also failing, see Win+V says "Nothing here".

Fix 5: Repair Snipping Tool

Repair tries to fix the app without touching its settings.

  1. Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
  2. Find Snipping Tool and select the More (...) icon next to it.
  3. Select Advanced options.
  4. Select Repair, then test the app.

Fix 6: Reset Snipping Tool

If Repair doesn't help, go back to the same Advanced options page and select Reset. Windows warns that this deletes the app's data, so your Snipping Tool preferences (such as auto-save) go back to their defaults. Check them afterwards in the app under See more > Settings.

Fix 7: Reinstall Snipping Tool

  1. In Settings > Apps > Installed apps, select More (...) next to Snipping Tool and choose Uninstall if it's offered.
  2. Restart the PC.
  3. Install Snipping Tool again from the Microsoft Store. It's free.

If Snipping Tool isn't in the Installed apps list at all, it has been removed; install it from the Store, then try the shortcuts again.

Fix 8: Re-register the app with PowerShell

If repair, reset and reinstall all fail, you can re-register the installed package. Snipping Tool's package name is Microsoft.ScreenSketch. Open Windows PowerShell and run:

$InstallLocation = Get-AppxPackage -Name 'Microsoft.ScreenSketch' | Select-Object -ExpandProperty InstallLocation
Add-AppxPackage -Path "$InstallLocation\AppxManifest.xml" -Register -DisableDevelopmentMode

Microsoft documents -Register with -DisableDevelopmentMode for registering an existing app installation that has been disabled, didn't register or has become corrupted. If the first line returns nothing, Snipping Tool isn't installed for your account; use Fix 7. Restart the PC afterwards.

Fix 9: Turn Snipping Tool notifications back on

After a Win+Shift+S capture, Snipping Tool normally shows a notification you can click to open the snip for markup. If it never appears:

  1. Go to Settings > System > Notifications.
  2. Under Notifications from apps and other senders, make sure Snipping Tool is on, with banners allowed.
  3. Check that Do not disturb is off. While it's on, notifications go straight to the notification center without a banner. It can switch on automatically, for example during games or full-screen apps, under Turn on do not disturb automatically.

The notification is only a shortcut to the editor. The snip is on your clipboard either way.

The snip worked but you can't find it

  • Paste it. Win+Shift+S and PrtScn put the capture on the clipboard. Press Ctrl+V in the app you want it in. It stays there until you copy something else.
  • Check the Screenshots folder. In Windows 11, Snipping Tool saves captures to Pictures > Screenshots automatically, unless that's been turned off. To check, open Snipping Tool and select See more > Settings.
  • Check Win+V. With clipboard history on, recent snips are listed there too, as long as each is 4 MB or smaller. Large full-screen captures can miss that limit; see screenshot not showing in Win+V.
  • Copied over it already? How to recover a screenshot you overwrote explains what can still be found.

If you take many screenshots and lose them to the next copy, a clipboard manager that keeps images helps. Edge Drop, the free screen-edge shelf made by the team behind this site, saves each captured screenshot as a PNG and keeps it across restarts unless you choose otherwise.

On a managed PC

Work and school PCs can be set up by IT to block screen capture tools, and none of the fixes above will override that. If Snipping Tool fails only on a managed device, ask your IT team before reinstalling anything.

FAQ

Why does Snipping Tool open but not let me select an area?

If the screen dims but nothing happens when you drag, close the overlay with Esc and try another mode on the toolbar (Rectangle, Window, Full screen or Freeform). If it keeps happening, repair the app (Fix 5).

Can I change the Win+Shift+S shortcut?

Windows has no setting for it. You can make PrtScn open the same overlay (Fix 3), or use a screenshot tool that lets you pick your own hotkey; ShareX vs Snipping Tool compares the options.

How do I capture an open menu if the snip closes it?

Use Snipping Tool's delay timer: start a delayed snip from the app, then open the menu before the countdown ends. How to screenshot one window or an open menu has the steps.

Related reading

Sources

Mohit Sehrawat
Written by Mohit Sehrawat · Author & Testing Contributor

Mohit Sehrawat helps test Edge Drop, trying features on Windows and reporting bugs. A B.Tech Computer Science Engineering student focused on software testing and product quality, Mohit writes the troubleshooting and privacy guides.

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