---
title: "Snipping Tool not working"
url: "https://screenshot-laptop.com/fix/snipping-tool-not-working/"
platform: "cross-platform"
section: "Troubleshooting"
updated: "2026-09-14"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
attribution: "screenshot-laptop.com"
shortcuts:
  - "Win + Shift + S"
---

# Snipping Tool not working

*The symptom tells you the cause. A tool that never opens is a different problem from one that dims the screen and then does nothing.*

URL: https://screenshot-laptop.com/fix/snipping-tool-not-working/

## The short answer

- Settings › Apps › Repair — Try this before reinstalling
- `Win` + `Shift` + `S` — Often works when the app window won't
- wsreset.exe — Fixes Store-related launch failures

## Identify which failure you have

- **The app doesn't open at all**, or opens and closes instantly → go to Repair and reset.
- **The screen dims but no toolbar appears** → the capture process is starting and failing. Same fixes, but try the certificate cause below first.
- **It opens but captures are blank or black** → not a Snipping Tool problem. [Black screenshots](https://screenshot-laptop.com/fix/black-screenshot/)
- **The shortcut does nothing but the app works when clicked** → a hotkey conflict; check apps that claim `Win` combinations.

## 1. Repair, then reset

Repair keeps your settings; reset returns the app to a clean state.

1. **Settings › Apps › Installed apps**.
2. Find **Snipping Tool**, click the three dots, choose **Advanced options**.
3. Click **Repair**. Test.
4. If it still fails, click **Reset**. Test again.

This fixes the majority of cases and takes under a minute.

## 2. Reset the Store cache

Snipping Tool is a Store app, and Store problems break it even though it came preinstalled.

Press `Win`+`R`, type `wsreset.exe`, press `Enter`. A blank window appears for a minute or two, then the Store opens. Test the Snipping Tool afterwards.

## 3. The expired certificate problem

There's a known failure where Snipping Tool refuses to start because the app's signing certificate has expired. It affected Windows 11 machines whose updates were paused, and the symptom is a tool that used to work and abruptly stopped on a specific date.

The fix is a Windows update, which includes a renewed certificate:

**Settings › Windows Update › Check for updates**, install everything offered, restart.

If your updates are paused or managed by an employer, this is the cause worth checking first.

## 4. Reinstall it

1. **Settings › Apps › Installed apps**, find Snipping Tool, uninstall.
2. Open **Microsoft Store**, search *Snipping Tool*, install.
3. Restart.

Reinstalling loses your settings, so re-enable auto-save afterwards.

## 5. Reinstall via PowerShell

If the Store won't cooperate, register the app manually. Right-click Start, choose **Terminal (Admin)**, and run:

`Get-AppxPackage *ScreenSketch* | Reset-AppxPackage`

If that reports nothing found, the package is genuinely missing and needs the Store route.

## 6. Check the shortcut isn't being stolen

If the app works when you click it but `Win`+`Shift`+`S` does nothing, something else has that combination. Screen recorders, remote desktop clients and macro utilities are the usual suspects. Close them one at a time and retest.

## While you wait: alternatives

You aren't stuck. `Win`+`PrtSc` saves a full screen to Pictures › Screenshots without involving the Snipping Tool at all, and `Alt`+`PrtSc` copies the active window. Both are handled by Windows itself and can't be broken by an app problem. [Every method](https://screenshot-laptop.com/windows/)

## Questions

**Why does Win + Shift + S dim the screen and then do nothing?**

The capture process is launching and failing. Run Repair first, then Reset. If the problem started suddenly on a machine with paused updates, install Windows updates — the expired certificate issue produces exactly this symptom.

**Is Snipping Tool being removed from Windows?**

No, the opposite. Microsoft merged Snip & Sketch into it and has been adding features — screen recording, text extraction, redaction. It's the actively developed capture tool on Windows.

**Can I use Snip & Sketch instead?**

On Windows 11 they're the same app under the Snipping Tool name. On Windows 10 they're separate, and if one is broken the other is worth trying. [Windows 10 detail](https://screenshot-laptop.com/windows/windows-10/).