Snipping tool shortcut stops working after one use

Question

Hi,

When using snipping tool by the shortcut "WIN + Shift + S" it stops working after one use. When pressing the button I get a brief loading icon, so it is registering the key presses but does nothing.

The way to stop this is to kill the process in task manager, but the same thing happens where it works once and stops again.

Snipping tool works if I open it and click the "New" button directly in the app.

I have tried:

• Repairing the install
• Resetting the install
• Uninstalling and Re-installing

This is very frustrating and has only started the last month or two.

Answer 1

Hi,

From what I’ve seen in older threads, this looks like a glitch. After ending its process in Task Manager, try restarting the Windows Explorer process as well and see if that makes a difference.

If it still doesn’t work, have you tried using the PrtScn key as an alternative? Just go to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Keyboard, then turn on Use the Print Screen key to open screen capture and see if this one works.

Answer 2

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the Snipping Tool shortcut issue in Windows 11:

1. Verify the shortcut behavior
   Snipping Tool is designed so that Windows logo key + Shift + S opens the snipping overlay, and after taking a snip, it closes. To start a new snip, the shortcut must be pressed again. Confirm that:
   • The desktop briefly darkens and a mini toolbar appears with snip modes (rectangular, free-form, window, full-screen).
   • After capturing, a notification appears and the image is copied to the clipboard.
2. Test Snipping Tool directly
   • Select Start, type Snipping Tool, and open it.
   • From within the app, try starting a new snip and confirm it works repeatedly.
     If the app works when opened directly but not via the shortcut, the issue is likely with the shortcut handling rather than the app itself.
3. Reinstall Snipping Tool cleanly
   Since repair/reset/reinstall via Store did not help, perform a full reinstall using the standalone installer:
   • Download the correct Snipping Tool installer for the system (for example, Snipping Tool Windows 64-bit is most common).
   • Run the installer and complete setup.
   • Restart Windows and test Windows logo key + Shift + S again.
4. Use alternative capture keys as a test
   • Press Print Screen (PrtSc) to confirm full-screen capture works and that screenshots are copied to the clipboard.
   • If Print Screen works consistently but Windows logo key + Shift + S does not, continue using Print Screen as a temporary workaround while monitoring for Windows updates that may address the shortcut behavior.
5. Check accessibility/screen clipping flow
   • Press Windows logo key + Shift + S.
   • After the snip, confirm that “Screenshot copied to clipboard” appears and that the snip can be pasted with Ctrl + V into another app.
   • If this works once but not again until Snipping Tool is killed, it reinforces that the Snipping Tool process is hanging; the clean reinstall in step 3 is the supported remediation.

If the behavior persists even after the standalone reinstall and system restart, monitor Windows Update for fixes, as this type of issue can be caused by recent builds and is typically addressed in subsequent updates.

---

References:

• Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots
• Copy the window or screen contents
• Uninstall and reinstall Paint and Snipping Tool
• Use a screen reader to explore and navigate the Windows desktop