This article will introduce 8 ways to fix Snipping Tool not working on Windows 11. Snipping Tool is the default screen scraping tool in Windows. According to reports, many users are experiencing issues with the Snipping Tool not working or crashing repeatedly on Windows 11. There are many reasons why Snipping Tool is not working. Therefore, it is recommended that you use several methods in this article until it is resolved.
Method 1: Reset or Repair Snipping Tool
Firstly, try to reset or repair Snipping Tool to see if Windows can fix it on its own.
Open the Start menu and click Settings under the Pinned Apps section.
Click the Apps tab on the left sidebar of the Settings window.
Click the Installed Apps tile.
Find the Snipping Tool application in the application list.
The ellipsis icon on the far right edge of the Single Snipping Tool, and then click Advanced Options on the context menu.
Click the “Repair” button below the “Reset” section.
Then launch the Snipping Tool application on the PC, if the Snipping Tool still doesn’t work, go back to the “Settings” window and click the “Reset” button. Check to see if the Snipping Tool not working issue has been resolved.
Method 2: Whitelist Snipping Tool
Windows 11’s Focus Assist creates problems launching certain apps, such as the Snipping Tool. So users can solve the problem of Snipping Tool not working by whitelisting Snipping Tool.
Open the Start menu and click the Settings tile under the Pinned Apps section.
Select the System tab in the left column of the Settings window.
Click the Notifications tile to continue.
Click the Set Priority Notifications tile to continue.
Click the Add Application button on the far right edge of the Applications section. Click the Snipping Tool application in the newly opened overlay window to add it to the list.
Once done, restart the Snipping Tool app to check if the problem persists.
Method 3: Perform a Clean Boot
If none of the previous methods work, you can try a clean boot of your PC and check if the Snipping Tool application works properly.
Note: A clean boot will not delete any system data. It just disables all but the basic Microsoft services.
Press the Windows+R keys simultaneously to bring up the Run Command utility. Then, type msconfig and press Enter.
In the System Configuration window, select the General tab. Click the radio button in front of the Selective Startup option. Click the checkbox in front of the “Load System Services” option and uncheck all other options if checked.
Click the Services tab in the window and click the checkbox in front of the Hide all Microsoft services option. Click the Disable All button to disable all services except Microsoft services.
Click the Apply button to apply the changes, then click the OK button.
After restarting your PC, the system will load in a clean boot environment. After restarting, check that the Snipping Tool is working properly.
Method 4: Use Registry Editor to Force Enable Snipping Tool
Windows 11 Snipping Tool is usually enabled by default. Snipping Tool not working may also be disabled by some 3rd party service. So try to force enable Snipping Tool from Registry Editor.
Open the start menu and search for the registry. In the search results, click Registry Editor.
The UAC window will appear. If you are not logged in with an administrator account, please enter a credential. Otherwise, click the “Yes” button.
In the Registry Editor window, enter the following address in the address bar at the very top of the window.
Right-click on the “Microsoft” key. Hover over the New option and click the Key option in the list. Name it TabletPC.
Select the newly created key, right-click an empty space on the right side of the window and hover over the New option. Click the DWORD option to create a new DWORD file in the directory and name it DisableSnippingTool.
Double-click the newly created file to edit its properties.
Enter 0 in the text box below the Value field in the window that opens. Click the “OK” button.
Restart your PC and check if Snipping Tool not working is resolved.
Method 5: Uninstall and Reinstall Snipping Tool
If none of the above methods can fix the Snipping Tool not working problem, it is recommended that you uninstall and reinstall the Snipping Tool.
Open the Start menu and click Settings.
In the Settings window, click the Applications tab.
On the right side of the window, click Installed Apps.
Type Snipping Tool in the search bar.
Click the ellipsis icon on the far right edge of the Snipping Tool and click the Uninstall option in the menu.
Click the “Uninstall” button. Once done, restart your Windows PC.
After restarting, open the start menu and click on the “Microsoft Store” icon.
Search for Snipping Tool in the store window.
In the search results, click the Snip & Sketch tile in the options grid.
Click the “Get” button and the Snipping Tool application will be downloaded and installed automatically.
Once done, start the Snipping Tool application and check if the Snipping Tool is working properly.
Method 6: Enable Background App Permissions
If access to Snipping Tool is disabled by third-party software/services, Snipping Tool is unable to access and take screenshots in the background. Therefore, you need to ensure the background permissions of the Snipping Tool.
Open the Start menu and click the Settings app.
Click Applications on the left sidebar of the window.
Click the Installed Apps tile in the list.
Search for Snipping Tool in the search bar.
Click the ellipsis icon on the far right edge of the Snipping Tool, and from the context menu, click the Advanced Options item.
Turn on the toggle switch below the “App Permissions” section. If not, click the switch to put it in the “on” position.
Under the “Background App Permissions” section, click the drop-down menu below the “Let this app run in the background” field and select the “Always” option.
Method 7: Disable Automatic Time from Settings
According to feedback from some users, the issue of Snipping Tool not working can be solved by tongue disabling the automatic time update on their PC.
Open the Start menu and click the Settings app.
In the Settings window, click the Time & Language tab on the left sidebar.
Click the “Date and Time” tile.
Turn off the toggle on the far right edge of the Automatically set time tile.
Click the Change button on the far right edge of the Manually set date and time tile.
Set the date before October 30, 2021 and click the Change button.
Start the Snipping Tool. If it works fine, go back to the Date and Time settings window.
Method 8: Access Snipping Tool from Older Versions of Windows
Double-click the “This PC” icon on the PC desktop.
Enter the address below in the address bar of a file explorer window and press Enter.
Note: Please change the <username> in the address to the username on your PC.
Double-click the “Snipping Tool” file to open the Snipping Tool.
That’s all about eight easy ways to fix snipping tool not working on Windows 11. Although there are lots of reasons causing this issue, you can try any way above to fix.
