Snipping tool 3 dots dont work any more to access Settings

Question

Snipping tool 3 dots dont work any more to access Settings

Stev Wolf 45

I like to use the snipping tool.

It use to work well. However the 3 dots as I recall opened various settings. For exmaple you could look were the snips were stored as I recall and other things.

However now the 3 dots does nothing. Like its dead.

As others have had the same issue. I have done the following.

Actions that I have attempted are

Re-launch the software

Repair and reset the software

Reinstall the software

Using powershell done below.

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.ScreenSketch | Reset-AppxPackage

Windows Feature Experience pack is as follows.

Edition Windows 11 Home

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎2025-‎10-‎27

OS build 26200.7840

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.291.0

I have tried to troubleshoot but it appears my computer does not have the option to troubleshoot the Microsoft store. Which appears to be another issue that people have. Although I can delete and reinstall programs via the MS store. So seems to work. I don't want to create a new user etc. As I have no idea what that will do. I tried to log on in safe mode. After putting in my bit locker key then I get the login screen that says "Need to set up a key again" but when I press this a screen pops up and immediately closes. So cant login on safe mode despite having bitlocker key. Another issue I will have to look into. As if at any time In need to do safe mode, I cant . it seems. Anyway I cant get into safe mode to see if any other program is interfering.

Computer is 1 month old Intel core Ultra 7 (home or some home type version) Aspire 14 AI.

I really like the Snipping tool its great. Really like to get it working again.

Thanks.

Answer accepted by question author

4 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hello,

Both of your replies went through :)

Can you tell me why this has such an effect on the snipping tool. And does it mean I cannot have a custom display?

Your display supports only one scaling factor for the set resolution. This is normal. Maybe if you select 1920X1080(right now it is 1920X1200), it will enable scaling percentages.

The custom scaling does not work with many apps. This is also by design. Some Inbox apps support it, and some do not.

I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Otherwise, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

Answer 2

Sumit D - IA 160.2K Independent Advisor

Hi,

Enter a custom scaling size between 100% - 500% (not recommended)

120

It appears to be set. Can you do it from the dropdown? User's image

Stev Wolf 45 Reputation points

2026-02-19T11:34:48.7733333+00:00

This appears to be a success!! Thank you. That was very counter intuitive.

However a few adjustments to what you suggested and what I did. I hope this will help you help others. See picture below.

You suggested to use the drop down box. I did not seem to have one?? Which seemed odd because you clearly had a picture of one. However, you in your first post, mentioned that perhaps I had a custom display setting. When I looked at Scale setting in the System > Display there was another line Just above this. It says, "A custom Scale factor is set. --- Turn off custom scaling and sign out." So I clicked on "Turn off" . The system immediately went black and then back to login screen. I logged in, opened snipping tool and the three dots worked now. Thank you very much. (so for others who may do this, save anything you have open as they will immediately be closed, and logged out.)

As another point of information, it should be noted that when I'm in the snipping tool, when the 3 dots did not work. In some cases it did work. When it worked was when in Snipping tool, and clicked on the Movie camera icon, did a little movie then the 3 dots did work. So Stills it did not work, but movies it did. So if you are stuck and want to get at the settings, but cannot when taking a Snip still picture you can try doing a movie to at least look at the Settings.

So does that mean I cannot use custom scale ? If I want to use Snipping tool. And do you know why this happens. As I said before this is very counter intuitive. I ask because I do some editing of pictures and I find that it is useful for me to change the scale. Also Oddly this did work but then stopped working.

So once Again, thank you for your help. In all the helps out there NONE mentioned this as an option.
Stev Wolf 45 Reputation points

2026-02-19T11:48:39.25+00:00

So for some reason it said that the first post was removed. But then it re appeared. So sorry for two posts basically saying the same thing, but frankly the first one that I posted that said it was removed has a little more info So I left both of them intact. Thank you again for your help. I hope my responses will also help others.

Regards.

Answer 3

Screenshot 2026-02-19 061208

So I posted a long response but for some reason it was removed due to Code of Conduct. Odd. I do wish they would tell me why, not just look here and read this long document and your guess is as good as mine.

AAAANNY way. Your solution did work. However not exactly as you stated although almost. There appeared to be no drop box available as you showed in your picture.

But there was a line just above the System > Display / Scale that says "A custom Scale factor is set. -- Turn off custom scaling and sign out. " I clicked to turn this off. The system immediately went dark, closed everything and logged me out. So i was presented with the login screen.

Can you tell me why this has such an effect on the snipping tool. And does it mean I cannot have a custom display?

Thank you very much for your help. It works now.

Answer 4

Sumit D - IA 160.2K Independent Advisor

Hi Stev,

Congratulations on the new machine.

I think I know the root cause. May I know if you have setup a custom scaling in Settings? Check at ettings → System → Display → Scale → Advanced scaling settings.

I’m eager to hear back and work together to find a solution.

Stev Wolf 45 Reputation points

2026-02-18T17:13:12.26+00:00

Thank you for taking on my issue. Im not sure how to tell if it is custom. Here is a printout of the page. (It is possible)

I had not thought that the Display would be an issue, so did not include the fact that I am using two monitors. (if that is an issue) One is the laptop 14 inch, the other a VGA monitor. If that helps to give you a little more info on this particular setup. I have also just tried, in my reading to examine the default snipping tool, I have not lost the page I found this, however it appears to be set up correctly.

Thank you.

===================================

System > Display > Advanced display

Internal Display

Display 1: Connected to Intel(R) Arc(TM) 140V GPU (16GB)

Desktop mode

Active signal mode

Variable refresh rate

Bit depth

Color format

Color space

Display adapter properties for Display 1

Choose a refresh rate

A higher rate gives smoother motion, but also uses more power More about refresh rate

1920 × 1200, 60 Hz

1920 × 1200, 60 Hz

Supported (40 Hz - 60 Hz)

8-bit

RGB

Standard dynamic range (SDR)

Dynamic refresh rate

To help save power, Windows adjusts the refresh rate up to the selected rate above

Dynamic refresh rate isn't supported More about dynamic refresh rate

HERE IS MONITOR #2

System > Display > Advanced display

Select a display to view or change its settings

Display 2: SyncMaster v

Display information

SyncMaster

Display 2: Connected to Intel(R) Arc(TM) 140V GPU (16GB)

1680 x 1050, 59.88 Hz

1680 x 1050, 59.88 Hz

Not Supported

8-bit

RGB

Standard dynamic range (SDR)

Display adapter properties for Display 2

Choose a refresh rate

A higher rate gives smoother motion, but also uses more power More about refresh rate

<

Desktop mode

Active signal mode

Variable refresh rate

Bit depth

Color format

Color space

59.88 Hz

V

<

Dynamic refresh rate

To help save power, Windows adjusts the refresh rate up to the selected rate above

Dynamic refresh rate isn't supported More about dynamic refresh rate

Off

PS Here is the Custom scaling. both monitors are the same it appears.

System > Display > Custom scaling

You shouldn't change these settings unless you need to-it can cause text and apps to become unreadable. All your displays will be set to the custom scaling size you enter and it can be difficult to go back to your original settings.

Custom scaling

Enter a custom scaling size between 100% - 500% (not recommended)

120

Related settings

4A

Text size>

Advanced display Display information, refresh rate>

Graphics>

Answer 5

It seems you are experiencing issues with the Snipping Tool where the three dots (menu) do not function as expected. Here are a few suggestions that might help resolve the issue:

Check for Updates: Ensure that your Snipping Tool is updated to the latest version. Sometimes, bugs are fixed in newer updates.
Reset the App: You mentioned you have already tried resetting the app using PowerShell, which is a good step. You can also reset it through the Settings app by navigating to Settings > Apps > Apps & features, finding Snipping Tool, and selecting Advanced options to reset it.
Reinstall the App: If resetting does not work, uninstalling and then reinstalling the Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store may help.
Check Windows Features: Since you are on Windows 11, ensure that all necessary Windows features are enabled. Sometimes, certain features may interfere with app functionality.
User Account Issues: If the problem persists, it might be worth trying to create a new user account temporarily to see if the issue is account-specific.
Safe Mode Troubles: Since you mentioned difficulties accessing Safe Mode, resolving that issue could also help in troubleshooting any conflicting applications or settings.

If none of these solutions work, you may want to consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for more tailored assistance.

References:

Snip & Sketch

Don George 0 Reputation points

2026-02-28T16:56:11.9666667+00:00

This is a crazy fix, that works. Display scaling wipes out 3 dot menu snip it!!!!!! MS fix this! All that jerking around reinstall app yada yada yads. Been putting up with this for months.

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Snipping tool 3 dots dont work any more to access Settings

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