Print Screen not working: seven causes, in order

Work down this list. The first two account for most cases and neither is a fault.

Updated 16 September 2026

1. It worked, silently#

On Windows 10, PrtSc copies to the clipboard with no flash, no sound, no notification and no file. There's nothing to see. Most "not working" reports are this.

Test it: open Paint and press Ctrl+V. If your screen appears, the key is fine and the behaviour is expected. Use Win+PrtSc instead when you want a file.

2. The function row is in media mode#

Laptop F-keys do two jobs, and only one layer is active at a time. In media mode, the key you pressed adjusted the brightness rather than capturing.

Test it: hold Fn and press PrtSc. If that works, this was the cause.

Fix it permanently: look for a padlock on Esc or Fn and press Fn+Esc, or change the setting in firmware. The name differs by brand — Action Keys Mode on HP, Fn Lock on Dell, Hotkey Mode on Asus, Function Key Behavior on Acer, and on Lenovo the indicator lights up on the Fn key itself. Galaxy Book models show the state on a small LED.

3. Another app has claimed the key#

Print Screen is a popular hotkey, and gaming laptops are the worst affected — MSI machines often ship with three apps competing for it. Any of these will take the key, silently, on install:

• OneDrive — has a capture screenshots I take setting
• Dropbox — same feature, same behaviour
• GeForce Experience / AMD Software — bound by default
• Snagit, ShareX, Greenshot, Lightshot
• Steam's in-game overlay
• Xbox Game Bar
• Vendor overlays: Omen Gaming Hub, Armoury Crate, MSI Center, Alienware Command Center

The tell: the key seems to do something — a flash, a sound, a brief overlay — but Pictures › Screenshots stays empty.

Find the culprit: close apps one at a time from the system tray and retest after each. Faster shortcut: check Videos › Captures and OneDrive › Pictures › Screenshots. Finding your missing captures there identifies the app immediately.

4. Clipboard history or a clipboard manager#

A clipboard utility can take the image and hold it somewhere other than the system clipboard. Press Win+V to see Windows' own history. If images are there, the capture worked and pasting was the problem.

5. The specific app blocks capture#

Banking apps, DRM-protected video players and some remote desktop clients deliberately prevent capture. You get a black rectangle or an empty clipboard, only in that app.

Test it: press PrtSc with File Explorer in front instead. Working there and failing in one app means the app is blocking it, not the key. Why, and what you can do

6. The keyboard driver#

Rare, but real after a Windows update.

1. Right-click Start, choose Device Manager.
2. Expand Keyboards.
3. Right-click your keyboard, choose Uninstall device.
4. Restart. Windows reinstalls the standard driver automatically.

7. The key is physically dead#

If none of the above applies, test the switch:

• Press Ctrl+Win+O for the on-screen keyboard and click PrtScn with the mouse. Working there means the software is fine and the physical key is broken.
• Or plug in a USB keyboard and press its Print Screen key.

A dead key isn't worth repairing for this, because Windows doesn't need it. Five methods that don't use it

The answer that skips all of this#

Win+Shift+S doesn't involve the Print Screen key, its Fn layer, or anything that intercepts it. If you just need a screenshot right now, use that. The Win + Shift + S guide