Snipping Tool Not Working or Won't Open in Windows 11? Fixes That Actually Work

You press Win + Shift + S or open Snipping Tool and nothing happens — no overlay, no app, or it opens and instantly closes.

Why: Snipping Tool is a Microsoft Store app. When it misbehaves, it’s almost always a stuck process, a corrupted app state, or an out-of-date install — all of which Windows can fix without third-party tools. Work down the list.

Fix 1: Restart the shortcut and the app

1. Press Win + Shift + S. If the dimmed overlay appears, drag a rectangle — the snip lands in the clipboard and a notification appears. The shortcut is working.
2. If nothing happens, open Snipping Tool from Start directly (type snipping tool).
3. If it’s already running but stuck, close it from the system tray, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → end the Snipping Tool task → relaunch.

Fix 2: Reset or repair the app

A corrupted app state is the most common cause of “opens then closes.”

1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
2. Find Snipping Tool, click the three dots → Advanced options.
3. Click Repair first (keeps your settings). Test it.
4. Still broken? Come back and click Reset (clears app data and starts fresh).

Fix 3: Uninstall and reinstall Snipping Tool

If reset doesn’t help, reinstall the app. (This requires Windows 10 22H2 build 19045.3758 or later — Windows 11 is well past that.)

1. Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Snipping Tool → three dots → Uninstall, and confirm.
2. Reinstall it from the Microsoft Store (search Snipping Tool), or download the official installer linked on Microsoft’s support page and run it.

Fix 4: Update Windows

Snipping Tool ships through the Store and Windows Update. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, install everything, reboot, then open Microsoft Store → Library → Get updates to pull the latest Snipping Tool build.

FAQ

Win + Shift + S works but the snip never saves to a file. That’s by design — the overlay copies to the clipboard. To auto-save a file, open the snip from the notification and press Ctrl + S, or use Win + PrtScn to save a full screen straight to your Screenshots folder.

The whole screen dims and freezes. End the Snipping Tool process in Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), then reset the app (Fix 2).

Sources: Microsoft Support — Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots, Microsoft Support — Uninstall and reinstall Paint and Snipping Tool