Pressing the Win + Shift + S shortcut key of the Snipping Tool for saving screen moments. Plus, it is an instant relief when you want to select and save a portion of the screen for your assignment or project, ensuring great utility. Additionally, the Snip and Sketch tools are displayed when you press the Win + Shift + S keys, enabling you to take quick, seamless screenshots. However, sometimes the keyboard shortcut keys of the snipping tool stop working, causing annoyance and inconvenience. The Snipping tool keyboard shortcut and stop working issue is addressed in this article with some effective workarounds.
We will discuss, the flexibility and versatility of the Snipping tool in Windows. However, there are a variety of methods too, but no one can beat the Snipping Tool. Additionally, it provides a variety of screen-capture modes and options, which elevates the Snipping Tool to the top of the heap.
This document primarily focuses on the fix snipping tool keyboard shortcut stop working issue, and how can you fix the bug.
What Are the Types of Snipping Modes?
Here are four snipping modes you can use to save on-screen moments:
1. Full-screen:
It can let you capture the full screen
2. Window snip:
With Window Snip, you can select a window or dialogue box that you want to save
3. Rectangular snip:
With Rectangular Snip, you can form a rectangle around anything on your screen
4. Free form snip:
You can draw a free-form shape around any object you wish to snip
Potential Methods to Fix Snipping Tool Keyboard Shortcut Not Working
Here are a few effective and handy solutions that can surely help to resolve the Snipping Tool keyboard, not working issue:
Restart Your System:
Do not underestimate the efficacy of this simple trick to resolve the issue. A seemingly straightforward method can resolve minor or major issues. So, when you experience the Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut key’s nagging behavior what you need to do is:
- Close running programs on your computer
- Launch a Start menu
- Find the Restart option in a list of options
- Select and Click Restart
It should resolve the keyboard shortcut key for the Snipping tool not working issue
Enable the Clipboard History:
Before getting to the point, you need to understand the working mechanism of the Snipping tool. To help you comprehend the actual procedure, here is a step-by-step guide:
- The snipping tool takes a screenshot using the keyboard shortcut
- First, it saves it to your clipboard
- Then, you can save the image to your computer
The issue arises when clipboard history has been inadvertently or intentionally disabled; in this case, the Snipping Tool will undoubtedly not function. What you need to do to overcome the anxiety is:
- Launch the Setting app by pressing Win + I
- Navigate to System
- Head to Clipboard
- You will find the Clipboard history option at the top of the window
- See, if it is enabled or disabled
- Ensure that the option to enable the clipboard history is selected on the right.
- Exit the Settings app
Check if the keyboard shortcut for the snipping tool is still functional. If yes, congrats to you! Switch to the subsequent approach, though, if the first one has failed.
Unplug and Replug Trick In Your Game Controller
Complex problems can often be solved by a seemingly simple trick, and the effectiveness is frequently demonstrated. You can try this trick in this way:
- See if the game controller is connected to your computer
- Unplug it
- Wait for a few seconds
- Replug it
It has frequently fixed the Snipping tool shortcut issue.
Set the Print Screen Key as a Shortcut
Additionally, you can modify the shortcut for launching the Snipping Tool. Sometimes, setting the PrtScr key as a shortcut instead of Win + Shift + S in Windows can fix the bug. Here is how you can do it:
- Launch the Setting app by pressing Win + I
- Navigate through the options
- Head to Accessibility
- Move to the Keyboard
- Scroll down a bit
- You will find the option saying Print screen (used to open screen snipping)
- Turn on the button
- Exit the Settings app
Now, use the PrtScr button instead of Win + Shift + S. Now that you know how to use the Snipping Tool effectively, you should be able to capture screenshots.
Reset the Snipping Tool
When the above-mentioned troubleshooting methods did not work for you. Resetting the Snipping Tool is the solution you should try if the keyboard shortcut does not work. The Snipping tool can be returned to its default settings by performing a reset.
Here are your instructions to reset the Snipping tool:
- Press Win + I
- It will launch the Settings app
- Navigate to Apps
- Head to Apps and Features
- Find the Snipping Tool in the list of apps
- Select Advanced options
- Scroll down a bit
- Click on the Reset button
- Click Reset again after seeing a hovering message
- Allow enough time for completion
Hopefully this will resolve the problem, but if it doesn’t, try reinstalling the Snipping Tool. Here is how you can do it:
- Find the Uninstall button
- It will be just below the Reset option
- Click on it
- It will uninstall the Snipping Tool
- Now, reinstall it
See, if reinstalling the app has removed the frustration or not. If it worked, congrats; if not, move on to the following choice.
Try Cleaning the Keyboard Dirt
Your keyboard’s performance may be hampered by any dirt on the keys, guaranteeing annoyance. Plus, the gluey dirt can damage your keyboard’s shortcut working overtime.
Here are a few instructions to avoid keyboard dirt:
- Check the keyboard keys thoroughly
- See if you find any debris or gluey substance
- Make sure that the keys are properly placed neither pressed down nor stuck
- Replace the keyboard if you find several damaged keys
Investing in a new keyboard can be a sensible approach to resuming the Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut working.
Check Snipping Tool Notifications
Make sure that you receive the Snipping Tool notifications. You can see them in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Furthermore, these flashing messages toggle help you access screenshots right away. However, if notifications are not appearing on the screen, the toggle is off for sure. You do not need to use intricate methods to enable it. A simple manual process can do it:
- Head to the Start menu
- Right-click on Start
- Select Settings
- Navigate to System
- Head to Notifications
- Scroll down a bit
- Turn on the Snipping Tool notification toggle
After completing the process, press Win + Shift + S and see if you can take a screenshot now. if yes, that’s great!
However, if it did not work, move to the next option to try and check.
Enable Windows Hotkeys
This troubleshooting method is only applicable to Windows Pro and Enterprise editions. If your device is compatible working with them, you can try it. Make sure that your Windows hotkeys are enabled, if the hotkeys are disabled shortcut keys won’t work. You can do it through the group policy editor.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Press Win + R on your keyboard
- It will open the Run command
- Type gpedit.msc in the dialog box
- Press Enter
- It will open the Group Policy Editor window
- Turn on Windows Hotkeys
- Now head to User Configuration
- Move to Administrative Templates
- Go to Windows Components
- Then, go to File Explorer
- Double-click the option saying, Turn off Windows Key hotkeys
- It will open a setting window
- Select Enabled
- Click Apply
- And then OK
Hopefully, these changes help you resolve the Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut now, and can take screenshots with ease.
However, if you have the Home edition, accessing the Group Policy Editor is not possible. In this scenario, you will have to take a longer route to enable the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows Home. But if you are not comfortable using it you can use the Registry Editor instead.
Here are your steps to enable Windows Hotkeys via the Registry Editor:
- Click on Start
- Type regedit
- Press Enter
- When UAC window pops up
- Click Yes
- It will open the registry editor
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
- In case, you did not see the Explorer folder
- Right-click on Policies
- Select New > Key
- Name the newly generated key Explorer
- Now right-click on Explorer
- Select New > DWORD 32-bit
- Name the DWORD NoWinKeys
- Double-click on NoWinKeys
- Set the value data to 0
- Turn on Windows Hotkeys Using Registry
- Select Base as Hexadecimal
- Click OK
- It will save the changes you made
- Exit the registry editor
- Restart your computer
Now, check if the issue has gone or still persists.
Other Fixes to Resume Win + Shift + S Keyboard Shortcut
You can also try some generic fixes that might help you remove the annoyance and might help restore the Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut working.
Here are potentially great fixes you need to try:
- Make sure that the keyboard driver is upgraded
- Try running the SFC utility to correct damaged system files
- Make sure your system is using the latest version of Windows
- Run a thorough antivirus program and see if the problem is resolved or not
- There can be a possibility of any third-party app’s intervening conflict with the Snipping Tool, a clean boot can resolve the issue
Switch to Third-Party Apps
If all the troubleshooting methods and tricks have failed the only resort could be to switch to third-party apps for screen capturing. These apps are reliable, robust, and quick to save screen moments precisely. You can find any free to premium screenshot tools according to your preference. The benefits of using third-party apps are many, however, a few are:
- Offers multiple editing options
- You can edit the image several times before saving
- You can have an object library
- Offers annotation options
- Can make your image blur
- Can add borders to the image
Final Words
We hope this document has met the purpose and would be immensely beneficial to fix the Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut to stop working glitches in Windows. You can restore the Win + Shift + S shortcut with the help of a variety of fixes provided in the document. Before stepping into the other troubleshooting methods, you need to restart your computer, then enable the Clipboard history, unplug and replug the game controller, and more. If you did not get the fix related to the Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut not working snag, resorting to a third-party app might be the last option.
