Why Is Windows + Shift + S (Snipping Tool) Not Working?

Usually a keyboard shortcut conflict, a clipboard setting, or a disabled feature — here’s how to fix it

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Windows + Shift + S is the keyboard shortcut for the Snipping Tool’s snip overlay — pressing it should dim the screen and bring up crosshairs for capturing a screenshot.

When it stops working, does nothing, or opens the wrong application, one of a handful of specific issues is causing it.

Here’s how to identify which one and fix it.

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Check If the Snipping Tool Is Enabled

The Windows + Shift + S shortcut depends on the Snipping Tool being installed and enabled. On some Windows configurations — particularly heavily managed enterprise devices or systems where apps have been stripped down — the Snipping Tool may be disabled or uninstalled.

Press the Start button and search for Snipping Tool. If it appears in search results, it’s installed. If it doesn’t appear, it needs to be reinstalled.

To reinstall, go to Settings → Apps → Optional Features and search for Snipping Tool. If it’s not in the installed list, click Add a Feature, find Snipping Tool, and install it. After installation, test the shortcut.

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Restart the Snipping Tool Background Process

The Snipping Tool runs a background process that listens for the keyboard shortcut. If this process has crashed or failed to start, the shortcut produces no response even though the app is installed.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Look for any Snipping Tool or SnippingTool.exe process in the list. If you find one, right-click it and select End Task. Then open the Snipping Tool manually from the Start menu — this restarts the process and re-registers the keyboard shortcut listener.

Test the shortcut again after restarting the process.

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A Conflicting Application Has Claimed the Shortcut

Another application may have registered Windows + Shift + S as its own global hotkey, intercepting it before Windows can pass it to the Snipping Tool. This is particularly common with:

Screenshot tools — Lightshot, Greenshot, ShareX, Snagit, and similar applications frequently use screenshot shortcuts that conflict with the Windows default.

Clipboard managers — some clipboard management applications use modifier key combinations that overlap with system shortcuts.

Gaming software and overlays — applications like Discord, Steam, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, and similar tools register global hotkeys that can capture key combinations before the OS handles them.

To test whether a conflict is the cause, close background applications one at a time and test the shortcut after each. Pay particular attention to any screenshot tools, clipboard managers, or gaming overlays running in the system tray.

If closing a specific application restores the shortcut, that application’s hotkey settings are the conflict. Open its settings and either disable its screenshot shortcut or change it to a different key combination that doesn’t overlap with Windows + Shift + S.

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Notification History or Clipboard History Is Disabled

The Windows + Shift + S shortcut captures to the clipboard and optionally shows a notification with options to annotate the snip. If clipboard functionality is disrupted, the shortcut may appear not to work even when it’s technically firing.

Go to Settings → System → Clipboard and make sure Clipboard History is enabled. With clipboard history on, screenshots captured with Windows + Shift + S save to the clipboard and appear in the clipboard history panel (Windows + V).

Also check Settings → System → Notifications and make sure notifications are enabled for the Snipping Tool. If Snipping Tool notifications are blocked, the confirmation toast that normally appears after a snip won’t show — which can make it seem like the shortcut didn’t work when it actually did.

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The Shortcut Was Reassigned in Windows Settings

Windows allows certain keyboard shortcuts to be reassigned or disabled through settings and accessibility tools. If the shortcut was accidentally remapped, it may be triggering a different action or nothing at all.

Press Windows + S to open Windows Search and type Keyboard Shortcut Settings or check Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard for any shortcut customizations that might affect the Windows key combinations.

Also check whether Sticky Keys, Toggle Keys, or Filter Keys are active in accessibility settings — these accessibility features modify how modifier keys behave and can interfere with multi-key shortcuts.

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Windows Key Is Disabled

Some keyboards — particularly gaming keyboards — have a Windows key lock that disables the Windows key to prevent accidentally minimizing games. If the Windows key lock is active, no Windows key combination works including Windows + Shift + S.

Check your keyboard for a Windows key lock indicator or a lock key. Common combinations to toggle it include Fn + Windows key, Fn + F6, or a dedicated lock button. Check your keyboard manufacturer’s documentation for the specific combination.

Gaming software like Logitech G Hub, Razer Synapse, or Corsair iCUE can also lock the Windows key through software settings — check your keyboard management software if you have one installed.

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Windows Explorer Has Crashed

Windows + Shift + S is processed by Windows Explorer — the shell process that manages the desktop and taskbar. If Explorer has crashed or frozen, keyboard shortcuts that depend on it stop working.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Look for Windows Explorer in the Processes list. Right-click it and select Restart. After Explorer restarts, test the shortcut.

If Windows Explorer isn’t in the list, go to File → Run New Task in Task Manager, type explorer.exe, and click OK to restart it manually.

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Focus Is on a Full-Screen Application

Some full-screen applications capture all keyboard input, preventing Windows shortcuts from reaching the operating system. Games, video players, and presentation software in full-screen mode sometimes intercept the Windows key and modifier combinations.

Press Alt + Tab or Win + D to exit the full-screen application or return to the desktop, then test whether Windows + Shift + S works. If it does, the full-screen application was intercepting the shortcut — use the application’s windowed mode when you need to take screenshots.

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Try the Alternative: Print Screen Key

Windows 11 allows you to configure the Print Screen key to open the Snipping Tool overlay, which provides the same crosshair capture interface as Windows + Shift + S. This is a useful workaround if the shortcut remains problematic.

Go to Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard and look for Use the Print Screen Key to Open Screen Snipping. Toggle it on. From that point, pressing the Print Screen key alone opens the same snip overlay that Windows + Shift + S would normally trigger.

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Run the Windows Troubleshooter

Windows has a keyboard troubleshooter that detects and fixes common keyboard and shortcut problems automatically.

Go to Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other Troubleshooters. Find Keyboard in the list and click Run. Let it scan for issues and apply any fixes it identifies. Restart after the troubleshooter completes and test the shortcut.

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Update Windows

Pending Windows updates sometimes include fixes for keyboard shortcut and Snipping Tool issues. Known bugs in specific Windows builds have caused Windows + Shift + S to stop working, and Microsoft patches these in subsequent updates.

Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates and install any pending updates. Restart after updating and test the shortcut.

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Reinstall the Snipping Tool

If the Snipping Tool is installed but the shortcut still doesn’t work, reinstalling it from the Microsoft Store resets the application to a clean state and re-registers its shortcuts.

Open the Microsoft Store, search for Snipping Tool, and click Install or Get. The Store reinstalls the application cleanly. After reinstalling, restart your computer and test the shortcut.

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A Quick Checklist

Work through these in order:

• Search for Snipping Tool in Start menu — confirm it’s installed
• Restart the Snipping Tool process in Task Manager
• Close screenshot tools and gaming overlays one at a time to find conflicts
• Check clipboard history is enabled in Settings → System → Clipboard
• Check Snipping Tool notifications aren’t blocked in notification settings
• Check keyboard gaming mode or Windows key lock on your keyboard
• Restart Windows Explorer in Task Manager
• Exit any full-screen applications and test the shortcut
• Enable Print Screen as alternative in Accessibility → Keyboard settings
• Run the keyboard troubleshooter in Settings → Troubleshoot
• Check for Windows updates and install pending ones
• Reinstall Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store

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The Bottom Line

Windows + Shift + S stopping work is almost always caused by a conflicting application claiming the shortcut, a crashed Snipping Tool background process, or a Windows key lock on a gaming keyboard. Closing background screenshot tools and restarting the Snipping Tool process together resolve the majority of cases in under two minutes.

If neither of those fixes it, the keyboard troubleshooter and a Windows update check cover most remaining causes without requiring more involved troubleshooting.

The shortcut didn’t disappear — something intercepted it. Find what’s in the way and Windows + Shift + S works immediately.