How to Fix Snipping Tool Not Working on Windows 11

Snipping Tool can fail at several different points on Windows 11. The app may not open, Windows + Shift + S may do nothing, a screenshot may reach the clipboard but not save, or screen recording may fail while image capture still works.

Those symptoms do not have the same cause. Testing the app, shortcut, clipboard, and save location separately prevents unnecessary resets and helps you repair only the broken part.

Microsoft currently documents Windows + Shift + S for an image snip and Windows + Shift + R for a video snip. Start by opening Snipping Tool manually, then test those functions one at a time.

Identify What Is Actually Failing

Use this quick diagnosis before changing Windows settings:

Symptom	Test	Most likely area to investigate
Snipping Tool will not open	Search for it from Start	Frozen process, outdated app, or damaged app data
The app opens but Windows + Shift + S does nothing	Select New inside the app	Keyboard shortcut, remapping software, or capture-app conflict
The screen dims, but no editor appears	Paste into Paint with Ctrl + V	Notification or automatic-save behavior
The image pastes but no file appears	Check Pictures > Screenshots	Snipping Tool save settings or folder problem
Screenshots work but recording does not	Open the app and select Record > New	Recording feature, graphics conflict, or outdated app version
Snipping Tool fails only during normal startup	Test after closing overlays and capture utilities	Third-party startup conflict

Open Snipping Tool from Start and take a snip using New. Paste it into Paint with Ctrl + V, even when no notification appears. A successful paste proves that the capture worked and keeps you from repairing the entire application for a notification problem.

Close the Frozen Process and Restart Windows

A stuck background process can stop the app from opening or prevent the capture overlay from appearing.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Find Snipping Tool under Processes.
3. Select it and choose End task.
4. Open Snipping Tool again from Start.

When it is not listed, restart Windows instead. A restart reloads the Windows shell, clipboard services, shortcut handling, and the app environment.

My How to Force Quit on Windows article includes additional ways to close an application that will not respond.

Update Snipping Tool and Windows

Snipping Tool receives updates through Microsoft Store, so the app can be outdated even when Windows Update shows no pending system update.

To update it:

1. Open Microsoft Store.
2. Select Downloads or Library, depending on the current Store layout.
3. Choose Check for updates or Get updates.
4. Install the Snipping Tool update.
5. Close and reopen the app.

Also open Settings > Windows Update, select Check for updates, install available updates, and restart the PC. Do not download Snipping Tool installers from third-party software sites.

Repair Snipping Tool Before Resetting It

Windows 11 provides both Repair and Reset for supported applications. Repair is the less disruptive choice because it attempts to fix the package without clearing its local settings.

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps > Installed apps.
3. Find Snipping Tool.
4. Open its three-dot menu and select Advanced options.
5. Select Repair.
6. Wait for the check mark, then test the app and shortcut.

Use Repair first. Reset is appropriate only when Repair does not solve the problem.

When Repair fails, return to the same page and select Reset. Resetting can clear Snipping Tool preferences, so review its automatic-save and capture settings afterward. It does not reset Windows or remove your personal documents.

Fix Windows + Shift + S When the App Still Opens

A working New button proves that Snipping Tool can capture images. When only Windows + Shift + S fails, focus on the keyboard and programs that intercept screenshot shortcuts.

Test the keys individually:

• Press the Windows key and confirm that Start opens.
• Type S in Notepad.
• Test both Shift keys.
• Try Windows + Shift + R to see whether the video overlay responds.

Close third-party capture utilities such as ShareX, Greenshot, Lightshot, Snagit, gaming overlays, GPU recording tools, clipboard managers, and keyboard macro software. Check the notification area because some of these programs remain active after their windows close.

Windows can also use Print Screen to open screen capture. Open Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, find the option that uses the Print Screen key to open screen capture, toggle it off and on, then test PrtSc and Windows + Shift + S again.

Laptop keyboards may require Fn + PrtSc. A keyboard-remapping utility can also redirect the key before Snipping Tool receives it. The checks in Ctrl Alt Delete Not Working can help distinguish physical key failure from a Windows shortcut problem.

Find a Screenshot That Was Captured but Seems Missing

Take a new snip and paste it into Paint using:

Ctrl + V

When the image appears, the capture worked. Check Pictures > Screenshots, then open Snipping Tool’s three-dot menu and select Settings.

Review Automatically save original screenshots. Current versions can save image snips automatically, but the behavior depends on this app setting. You can always select the Save icon or press Ctrl + S after opening a capture.

Enable automatic saving when you want every original image snip stored in the Screenshots folder.

Also open Settings > System > Notifications and make sure Snipping Tool notifications are allowed. Check Do Not Disturb and other notification filtering. A missing popup is not proof that the screenshot failed, which is why the Paint paste test should come first.

When automatic saving is enabled but the folder remains empty, try saving manually to the Desktop. A successful manual save points toward the configured folder, permissions, or folder redirection rather than the capture engine.

Remove a Conflicting Screenshot or Overlay App

Capture programs, gaming overlays, graphics utilities, and clipboard tools can register the same keyboard shortcuts or hook into the screen-capture process.

Close likely programs completely and test Snipping Tool after each one. When the shortcut immediately starts working, decide which application should own it and change the conflicting hotkey inside the other program.

The same principle applies when Snipping Tool stops working only after Windows has been running for a while. Check which overlay or capture utility opened before the failure instead of repeatedly resetting Snipping Tool.

Reinstall Snipping Tool

Use reinstalling after Update, Repair, and Reset have failed.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. Find Snipping Tool.
3. Open the three-dot menu and select Uninstall.
4. Confirm the removal and restart Windows.
5. Reinstall Snipping Tool using Microsoft Store or Microsoft’s official installer.

Microsoft now provides official 64-bit, 32-bit, and ARM64 installers in its Snipping Tool reinstall instructions. Use the 64-bit version for most Windows 11 PCs unless the system uses ARM64 hardware.

After installation, test in this order:

1. Open the app manually.
2. Select New and take an image snip.
3. Press Windows + Shift + S.
4. Check the clipboard and Screenshots folder.
5. Test screen recording only after image capture works.

Test for a Startup Software Conflict

Safe Mode is useful when the app works after a restart but fails again once other programs have loaded.

Open Settings > System > Recovery, select Restart now beside Advanced startup, then follow Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. Choose Safe Mode and test a basic screenshot.

The complete process is covered in How to boot Windows 11 in Safe Mode.

Safe Mode may not support every graphics or recording feature, so use it mainly to test whether the app opens and captures an image. When it works there, a normal startup application or third-party service is probably interfering.

Remove or disable recently installed capture utilities, overlays, macro software, display-enhancement tools, and clipboard managers one at a time. Do not leave security or hardware services disabled without identifying the actual conflict.

Repair Windows Components Only When Other Apps Also Fail

DISM and System File Checker are not the first response to a single Snipping Tool glitch. Use them after reinstalling the app fails or when Settings, Microsoft Store, File Explorer, and other Windows components are also crashing.

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After DISM finishes, run:

sfc /scannow

Restart Windows after both commands complete. When SFC cannot start or returns a Windows Resource Protection message, use SFC /Scannow Not Working instead of running the same scan repeatedly.

Fix Screen Recording Without Disturbing Working Screenshots

Microsoft’s current Snipping Tool guide documents Windows + Shift + R for video snips.

When image capture works but recording does not:

1. Open Snipping Tool manually.
2. Select Record, then New.
3. Select a rectangular area and start recording.
4. Update Snipping Tool and Windows.
5. Close gaming, GPU, meeting, and screen-recording overlays.
6. Repair the app, then Reset only when needed.
7. Reinstall Snipping Tool if recording remains unavailable.

Some protected video, secure windows, administrator prompts, and hardware-accelerated content may not capture normally. Test the Desktop or an ordinary application before concluding that all recording is broken.

Multiple-monitor problems can also involve different display scaling or graphics drivers. Test the primary monitor, temporarily disconnect the secondary display, and check whether both displays use sensible scale settings. Update the graphics driver when other display problems occur at the same time.

Use Another Screenshot Method While Repairing the App

These shortcuts can keep you working:

• PrtSc copies the full screen when another app has not reassigned the key.
• Windows + PrtSc saves a full-screen capture to Pictures > Screenshots.
• Fn + Windows + Space can capture the screen on some devices without a Print Screen key.
• Alt + PrtSc copies the active window.

Microsoft currently confirms both the screenshot and recording shortcuts in its Snipping Tool documentation. A targeted diagnosis remains the fastest path: repair the app when it will not open, fix shortcut conflicts when manual capture works, and check saving or notifications when the image already reaches the clipboard.