When Snipping Tool stops opening, freezes, or seems to capture nothing, the cause is usually small: a glitch in the app itself, or a Windows feature that keeps it from starting. This guide goes through the fixes in the order that costs you the least. Work down the list and test Snipping Tool after each one, so you know which change solved it.
Repair or reset the Snipping Tool app
Windows has two built-in fixes for an app that crashes, freezes or refuses to start. Try Repair first. If that button is missing or the app still fails, use Reset, which puts the app back to how it was when Windows was installed. Be aware that a reset clears the app's own data, so any custom settings you chose inside Snipping Tool go back to their defaults.
- Select Start > Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Snipping Tool in the list and select the three-dot menu next to it.
- Select Advanced options.
- Select Repair if you see it, wait for it to finish, and open Snipping Tool again.
- If there is no Repair button or the problem is still there, go back to the same page, select Reset, then select Reset again to confirm.
- On Windows 10, the list is at Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features. Select Snipping Tool, then Advanced options, and use the same buttons.
Let Snipping Tool through Do not disturb
Do not disturb (Focus assist on earlier versions) is meant to cut down on interruptions, but it can also get in the way of some apps, and Snipping Tool is one of them. You can switch it off, or keep it on and add Snipping Tool to the apps it lets through.
- To switch it off, open the notification center from the taskbar and select the bell icon marked zZ.
- To keep it on instead, go to Start > Settings > System > Notifications and open Set priority notifications.
- Under Apps, select Add apps and pick Snipping Tool from the list.
- Close Settings, open Snipping Tool and take a snip to see if it works now.
Take a screenshot with the keyboard when the window won't open
If the app window is the problem, you may still be able to capture without it. These shortcuts work from anywhere on the screen, so they are also a handy way to find out whether the capture feature itself still works.
- Press the Windows logo key + Shift + S to dim the screen and open the capture bar. Choose the area, and the image is copied to the clipboard.
- Press Ctrl + V in a document, an email, or an app such as Paint to paste the image where you need it.
- Press Print Screen (PrtSc) to copy a picture of the whole screen to the clipboard.
- To open the app the usual way, select the Start button, type snipping tool, and pick Snipping Tool from the results.
Find the screenshots you think are missing
Sometimes the tool works fine and the picture just went somewhere you did not look. After a snip, Snipping Tool saves it on its own to your Screenshots folder. To change that folder or the saving behavior, open the app, select See more, then select Settings. If you want an extra copy in a place you choose, use the Save as button after you capture, then pick a location and a file name.
Some Snipping Tool features only appear on Copilot+ PCs
If you read about Perfect screenshot or Color picker and cannot find them, nothing is broken. Microsoft lists both as available only on a Copilot+ PC, so a regular Windows 11 computer will not show them. The standard snip modes (rectangle, window, full screen, and freeform) are available on every PC.