[Solved] Snipping Tool is Not Working in Windows 10

You can use the snipping tool on a Windows device to capture a screenshot of a particular part of your screen. The options with the snipping tool depend on what version of Windows you are using. In general, you will be able to get a rectangular or free-form shape from what is on your screen and then get it saved as a file type that you desire. But recently some users have reported seeing an error message when using this tool. If Snipping Tool is not working on your computer right now, here are some ways you can try to solve this problem on your Windows 11/10.

It appears with an error message that says – Snipping Tool is not working on your computer right now. Restart your computer, then try again. If the problem persists, contact your system administrator.

Snipping Tool is Not Working in Windows 11/10

Snipping Tool is a handy program that is important to any Windows user, especially one who works in IT. Here are some solutions to fix your Snipping Tool if it’s not working –

Relaunch the Snipping Tool
Run the SFC Scan
Find out the conflicting software
Disable/Enable the Snipping Tool

1] Modify Date & Time

If the Snipping Tool fails to open after installing a recent patch update, check if you can fix it by changing the system date back to 31st Oct 2021.

Press Win + I to launch the Settings app.
Click Time & language on the left pane and “Date & Time” on the right side.
Turn off both toggle switches i.e. “Set time automatically” and “Set time zone automatically“.
Now, that you have disabled the automatic change in Date & Time, locate the setting Set the date & time manually, and click the Change button.
Set the date to 31st Oct or earlier than that.
Restart your PC next and open Snipping Tool from when the system reloads. This tool should start fine without getting into any issues.

Note: Microsoft is well aware of this issue, and is working on a resolution. The tech giant has even pulled out that buggy patch from Microsoft Store to prevent additional system crashes. Windows 11 users may receive a permanent fix to this in upcoming releases.

2] Relaunch the Snipping Tool

To resolve a problem with the Snipping Tool, you may forcefully close it and reopen it. Here is the process you should follow –

Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open the Task Manager.
In the appearing window, go to the Processes tab.
Then locate the Snipping Tool application.
Once you find it, right-click on the tool and click End Task.
After following the above steps, open the Snipping Tool and see if it works.

3] Run the SFC Scan

This tool may fail to function properly if some of the system files related to Snipping are corrupted or damaged. If this happens, you might try running the System File Checker utility to ensure that faulty system files are removed and replaced with the correct ones. To run SFC, follow the steps below –

Open the Command Prompt as administrator.
In the command prompt window, type the command given below:

sfc /scannow

Now, press the Enter key to run the command.
It may take a while so wait patiently until it completes the process.

4] Find out the conflicting software

If none of the methods listed above work, the next thing you should try is to check if you have any software on your computer that may conflict with Snipping Tool.

Open the Start menu, type “System Configuration” and press Enter.
On the following page, navigate to the Services tab.

Check the box labeled Hide all Microsoft services.
Choose the services which you think are causing the problem.
Now click on the Disable all button.
Select Apply then click the OK button.

After you have completed the process, verify that Snipping Tool now works properly.

5] Disable and Enable the Snipping Tool

Try disabling and enabling the Snipping Tool and check if it solves the problem.

Here is how to do it:

Right-click on Start and select Run from the menu list.
Type gpedit.msc in the text box and press Enter.
In the Local Group Policy window, go to the following locations:

 User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Tablet PC > Accessories.

Double-click on the right side of the page on Do not allow Snipping Tool to run.
Mark the Enabled checkbox and then click the OK button.
Next, select Not Configured or Disabled and then click Apply > OK.

6] Uninstall and Reinstall Snipping Tool

Do you experience sudden crashes when you try to launch Snipping Tool? There is a possibility that the Snipping Tool may be improperly installed due to a faulty update or issues with Windows.old folder. In this case, you will need to download and install the latest version of the Snipping Tool application program file. Here is how to do this:

Right-click on Start and select Apps and Features.
In the right pane, scroll down to Snipping Tool.
Click on the three dots and select Uninstall from the context menu.
Again click on Uninstall to confirm your action.
When you uninstall the Snipping Tool in Windows 11, reinstall it from Snipping Tool in the Microsoft Store.

Note: You will see Snip & Sketch in Windows 10 and Snipping Tool in Windows 11.

7] Use the Classic Snipping Tool

Alternatively, if none of the methods listed above work, and you would like to use the Windows 10 Classic Snipping Tool even in Windows 11. To use this, please follow the steps below.

Press the Windows + E keys to open File Explorer.
Navigate to the C:/ partition of the System drive.
After that, open Windows.old and then system32. There’s an executable called SnippingTool.exe here.
Double-click on that executable file to launch the classic Snipping Tool even in Windows 11.

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[Solved] Snipping Tool is Not Working in Windows 11/10