Print Screen not working on Windows 11? Here's the fix.
If pressing Print Screen suddenly opens the Snipping Tool — or seems to do nothing — Windows 11 reserved the key. Here's exactly why, the manual fix, and how ShotsGlow frees it for you — one toggle, then a sign-out.
Why Print Screen stopped working
On Windows 11, Microsoft added a setting that makes the Print Screen key open the Snipping Tool. It's helpful for some people — but if you relied on Print-Screen-to-clipboard or a third-party capture hotkey, it can feel like the key broke.
The manual fix
Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Keyboard and turn off “Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.” (On older Windows 11 builds it lived under Accessibility → Keyboard.) That releases the key so it behaves the way you expect again.
Let ShotsGlow flip it for you
ShotsGlow detects the reservation and turns it off for you with a single toggle — a per-user registry change, no UAC prompt. Sign out once and Print Screen is back to normal. Most tools, including Snagit and Greenshot, only deep-link you to the Settings page; ShotsGlow makes the change itself. To capture into ShotsGlow, set your own global hotkey (default Ctrl+Shift+S).
Then make the screenshot look good
Press your ShotsGlow hotkey and you're already in the editor — so the same capture can get a designed backdrop, an annotation, a redaction or an exact export size. That's the point: capture and finish in one app.
Why does Print Screen open the Snipping Tool now?
Windows 11 added a setting that reserves the Print Screen key to open the Snipping Tool. When it's on, your old Print-Screen-to-clipboard habit or a third-party hotkey may not behave as before.
How do I turn it off manually?
Go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Keyboard and turn off “Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.” (On older Windows 11 builds it lived under Accessibility → Keyboard.) Print Screen is then free again.
Does ShotsGlow need admin rights to fix it?
No. ShotsGlow toggles the setting with a per-user registry change — no UAC prompt. After you sign out and back in, Print Screen behaves normally again. For capturing into ShotsGlow, you set your own global hotkey (default Ctrl+Shift+S).