Microsoft Windows 11 Print Screen Key Will Redirect to Snapping Tool

[AleksandarK]

In the Windows operating system, the Print Screen keyboard command has been resulting in taking a screenshot for more than two decades. However, Microsoft will change the interaction by creating a screenshot in Windows 11 OS. Currently, when you press the Print Screen key, the entire window is captured, and your image gets saved, pasted to the clipboard and, if you have it enabled, the OneDrive folder too. In the latest Windows Insiders Beta Channel, the Windows 11 KB5025310 version is rolling out and changing the screenshot game. Instead of regular shots, pressing the Print Screen key now toggles the Snapping Tool, previously only used when Windows Key, Shift Key, and S key were pressed.

Microsoft is making it seem that the Snapping Tool now becomes the default screenshot tool, which is much more feature-rich compared to the traditional way of taking a screenshot. Of course, making a quick screenshot will still be favored by many. So, Microsoft has left an option to revert the future default setting by going into Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, where you toggle off the button that says: "Use the Print Screen key to open Snipping Tool."



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[Kaleid]

Or it could work like Steam, just saving screenshots to a folder..

 

[aktpu]

I've been using PrintScreen for snipping tool ages. This is more sane default for current day

 

[zmeul]

this is really dumb as fuck
why would I need a key to open Snapshot? you can pin it to the taskbar and be one click away
why the fuck would you take away the functionality of Print Screen key that worked like that for decades

 

[aktpu]

this is really dumb as fuck
why would I need a key to open Snapshot? you can pin it to the taskbar and be one click away
why the fuck would you take away the functionality of Print Screen key that worked like that for decades

You can change the behaviour in settings

Things have changed in decades

 

[Kohl Baas]

You can change the behaviour in settings

...until you can't...

 

[Prima.Vera]

After they butchered the Settings, the Control Panel, Taskbar, etc, now they are touching yet again something that nobody asked for.
Looks like they hired too many idiots for the development.
Please bring back the people who designed Windows 7, they actually knew what they were doing.

 

[Solaris17]

mmmmmmm I have been a fan of 11 in general, and the new options it brings. I am not a fan of this though.

 

[Vayra86]

This is fine.
Snipping tool is fantastic, you can even delay your screenshot to get open context windows with a highlighted option from mouseover and everything. Perfect for its purpose - showing people something.
It even works in fullscreen applications. Its much more functional than PrtScr as a button ever will or can be and gains further functionality because you're no longer alt tabbing for it now.

PrtScr also lacks user feedback, and sometimes it won't actually save the screenshot to clipboard, because of reasons. With this change you dó have feedback so you know whether there's an actual screenshot made.

 

[GunShot]

mmmmmmm I have been a fan of 11 in general

Whoa!

This is not to be expected from average daily reading.

*looking for diabetes-less chocolate cake now*

 

[HOkay]

As long as you can turn it off...
I too thought snipping tool was pretty good, but then someone recommended Greenshot & I'll never not use Greenshot on every machine I have now! Thank me later

 

[Aleksandar_038]

Finally!
Having proper snipping tool and then hiding it behind some stupid setting was a really stupid move. Everybody though that built-in Windows PrtSc was useless because it would only screenshot whole page and save it in folder automatically, with no option for any changes - and then installed additional software for doing something that was already built-in... Because Microsoft never bother to show them possibilities of Snipping tool.

Or it could work like Steam, just saving screenshots to a folder..

But that is how it is working now, and for last 10 years, for Christ sake... When you press PrtSc it save screenshot to a folder... And you will be able to set it up that way in future, too....

After they butchered the Settings, the Control Panel, Taskbar, etc, now they are touching yet again something that nobody asked for.
Looks like they hired too many idiots for the development.
Please bring back the people who designed Windows 7, they actually knew what they were doing.

It is the same RIGHT NOW, just the default setting is that when you press PrtSc button, it saves whole page to Pictures folder, and through settings you can activate Snipping tool to be triggered. And since Snipping tool is far superior (automatic copy to clipboard, possibility to screenshot just part of page or to delay screenshot, markup on screenshot if needed), they are just turning on by default and leave option to turn it off if you prefer old behaviour.

It is just like it should be, but people today get angry for everything...

And accessing to that setting is literally two seconds away from desktop, so I do not know what else they can do to satisfy users these days...

Majority of "users" today use phone to take a picture of screen because they are completely illiterate when it comes to PC, so I guess it is lost case anyway But screenshot making in Win10 and 11 are eons superior to Win7 in any variant.

As long as you can turn it off...
I too thought snipping tool was pretty good, but then someone recommended Greenshot & I'll never not use Greenshot on every machine I have now! Thank me later

You can turn it on and off now, and you could also for lasthe lastx or seven years in Windows 10, since a new snipping tool was introduced. Greenshot is completely superfluous with Snipping Tool available now, they just changed default PrtSc behavior to make it more visible.

 

[Shihab]

If it takes a snapshot of the screen's content at pressing frame *then* pipe it to the snipping tool, I suppose it would be tolerable (to most). If it simply functions as a shortcut to launch snipping tool, that would be just stupid.

Snipping tool is fantastic, you can even delay your screenshot to get open context windows with a highlighted option from mouseover and everything. Perfect for its purpose - showing people something.

Classic PrtScn funcionality does that without requiring any delays or extra steps, because it does exactly what the name says: print the screen...

 

[HOkay]

I used to use Snipping Tool, & it's pretty good, but Greenshot has slightly better options. As usual, allowing competition in the space would be better than enforcing Snipping Tool imo. Having it selectable which application it opens when you press the button would be best.

 

[Vayra86]

Classic PrtScn funcionality does that without requiring any delays or extra steps, because it does exactly what the name says: print the screen...

Except when it doesn't.

 

[Aleksandar_038]

I used to use Snipping Tool, & it's pretty good, but Greenshot has slightly better options. As usual, allowing competition in the space would be better than enforcing Snipping Tool imo. Having it selectable which application it opens when you press the button would be best.

It is selectable, Greenshot can claim PrtSc key for itself, if it is not already claimed by DropBox, OneDrive, OneNote or some other offender... But it can be set, there are instruction on Greenshot page and even PowerShell script on superuser to de-register PrtSc button manually...

If it takes a snapshot of the screen's content at pressing frame *then* pipe it to the snipping tool, I suppose it would be tolerable (to most). If it simply functions as a shortcut to launch snipping tool, that would be just stupid.


Classic PrtScn funcionality does that without requiring any delays or extra steps, because it does exactly what the name says: print the screen...

It starts snipping "tool" with "+" icon to choose area of screen to be "screenshot-ed" with some additional options up top (like screenshot full screen immediately). After that, it copies screenshot to clipboard and offers it to save it on location you prefer, and options to add remarks to your screenshot (classic tools, like in Greenshot). So, it is for sure better option and more "user-friendly" than previous behavior where most of the users did not even know how PrtScn button works and that there are screenshot saved due to lack of user feedback.

 

[Chaitanya]

After they butchered the Settings, the Control Panel, Taskbar, etc, now they are touching yet again something that nobody asked for.
Looks like they hired too many idiots for the development.
Please bring back the people who designed Windows 7, they actually knew what they were doing.

Rather in last couple of layoffs they decided to get rid of all the remaining gray matter to clear entire top floor.

 

[lemonadesoda]

PrtSrn (old) is/was a security nightmare, leaving unknown copies of goodness knows what, auto-saved in goodness knows where, without feedback. It should be removed from W10 too, and upgraded to the new snipping tool.

I,ve been using irfanview for clipping screenshots since XP. But it seems the new snipping tool would be quite sufficient,

 

[Aleksandar_038]

PrtSrn (old) is/was a security nightmare, leaving unknown copies of goodness knows what, auto-saved in goodness knows where, without feedback. It should be removed from W10 too, and upgraded to the new snipping tool.

I,ve been using irfanview for clipping screenshots since XP. But it seems the new snipping tool would be quite sufficient,

I had, long time ago, job as pc technician in local PC shop. PC comes for service, and in Pictures folder you can find various screenshots that user, unaware of functionality, left there.

We always left a note for the customer to explain them how it works, because it was really problematic - even bank accounts and similar stuff could be found left by uneducated users.

If nothing, Microsoft should be scorned for not fixing this bullshit earlies, not hammered by unsatisfied users "bring us Win7 back", which probably used WinXP until it was completely obsolete...

Rather in last couple of layoffs they decided to get rid of all the remaining gray matter to clear entire top floor.

True, but why bash them on one of the few food decisions that they have made in the last few years? Not that I am suggesting that Windows development goes to right direction, quite the opposite, but if something is done properly, it should be praised, regardless of general direction (which is omni-present in whole IT area and bigger than Microsoft itself. If nothing else, with Nadela Microsoft just stopped going against the trends and embraced what others were already doing successfully - that's how we got Windows 10 and 11...)

 

[Shihab]

Except when it doesn't.

Could say the same about Snipping tool, and it would be more probable given the complexity difference between the two.

It starts snipping "tool" with "+" icon to choose area of screen to be "screenshot-ed"

That's the problem. If it starts the application then takes the screenshot, that could potentially change the state of what's on the screen. Think contextual menu, many (most?) programs close open contextual menus when window loses focus. I haven't used Windows in a while, but this was a major issue I've had with snipping tool back then.

What it needs to be is something similar to how Gnome Screenshots works.

 

[Chomiq]

I'm using Lightshot for my work laptop, for desktop I stick to built in snipping tool shortcut, the one in firefox or regular print screen.

 

[Karti]

Or it could work like Steam, just saving screenshots to a folder..

It is saving ALL screenshots you made with shift-windows-s

to your picture folder ;s no joke - i found that like week ago xd

 

[kondamin]

Would be nice if they added a text tool to the snipping tool

 

[JulLe]

I've been using Win+Shift+S to open snipping tool for ages. I wonder if Alt+Printscreen will still work for screenshotting the currently active window. Edit: Win+Shift+S, not ctrl

 

[InhaleOblivion]

So then what becomes of Windows key+Shift+S? You already have that option in Windows 10. Oh I get it now, this is for all those millennials who don't know shortcut key combos exist.