Snipping Tool no longer working in Fullscreen applications

SnipToolMadness · Monday at 8:17 PM

Hey there folks, hoping someone can end the madness

Begrudgingly updated from win 10 to 11 not so long ago and has been mostly smooth sailing. (I'm on Version 24H2)

Came across an issue where using the snipping tool (Win+Shift+S) in fullscreen apps would kick me out of fullscreen and not allow me to capture within the app.

Found some threads talking about uninstalling the snipping tool and using the "built-in" snip in win 11, which sort of works in that I can once again snip in fullscreen but I don't have any of the markup or more advanced features in the proper snipping tool.

Done all sorts of proposed fixes and troubleshooting steps from uninstall/reinstall to rebuilding the component store but no luck so far.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edwin · Monday at 8:24 PM

ShareX

SnipToolMadness · Monday at 8:26 PM

Edwin said:
ShareX

I had considered that but would like to use the snipping tool if possible to get it functioning again

some neat features in the insider builds for the snipping tool so it's obviously not abandoned

Edwin · Monday at 8:40 PM

SnipToolMadness said:
I had considered that but would like to use the snipping tool if possible to get it functioning again

some neat features in the insider builds for the snipping tool so it's obviously not abandoned

Fair enough.

Bree · Monday at 8:40 PM

SnipToolMadness said:
the snipping tool (Win+Shift+S) in fullscreen apps would kick me out of fullscreen and not allow me to capture within the app.

Which apps? Examples?

When I find something I can't easily snip because pressing the keys closes something (usually a menu I'm trying to snip) then I open the snipping too first. Then I set it to make a delayed snip. That lets me capture what I wanted. 10 seconds is usually enough time to set up what I'm trying to capture.

Edwin · Monday at 9:16 PM

It's simply frustrating why MS cannot maintain the functionality of such a basic application, from build to build!

Berton · Monday at 10:17 PM

Full screen then used mouse to get this with the Snipping Tool:

Win11 Version 24H2 Build 26100.4351 [latest]

glasskuter · 2025-06-17T00:46:38-0400

Edwin said:
ShareX

Our king guru alien Brink turned me on to Screenpresso.

SnipToolMadness · 2025-06-17T11:38:16-0400

Berton said:
Full screen then used mouse to get this with the Snipping Tool:

View attachment 137088
Win11 Version 24H2 Build 26100.4351 [latest]

Fairly sure that fullscreen-ing the browser doesn't count as an "exclusive fullscreen" app or whatever as I can do that as well but in a game for example it tabs me out.

Bree · 2025-06-17T12:35:10-0400

SnipToolMadness said:
Fairly sure that fullscreen-ing the browser doesn't count as an "exclusive fullscreen" app or whatever as I can do that as well but in a game for example it tabs me out.

I only have one 'exclusive fullscreen' game, but I can confirm your issue with the Snipping tool. About the only thing that works (sort of) is a video snip. The result shows what's actually being stored in the video RAM when you run a game full screen, and perhaps goes some way to explain why the snipping tool is the wrong tool for the job.

The right tool would appear to be the Game Bar.

Game Bar is built into Windows so you can capture videos and screenshots while playing PC games.

While you're playing a game, press the Windows logo key + G on your keyboard to open Game Bar.

Select Record from now (the circle) to start a clip, then Stop recording (the square) to end it.

Select Take screenshot (the camera icon) to take a picture of what’s happening in the game.

For full-screen PC games, use Windows logo key + Alt + G to start and stop recording.

To edit a clip, select See my Captures in the Capture widget in Game Bar.

Game Bar | Microsoft Windows

Get the most out of your Windows 11 experience with Game Bar. Game Bar works with most PC games, giving you instant access to widgets for screen capture and sharing and chatting with Xbox friends across Windows PCs, Xbox consoles, and mobile—all without leaving your game.

www.microsoft.com

SnipToolMadness · 2025-06-17T12:37:28-0400

Bree said:
I only have one 'exclusive fullscreen' game, but I can confirm your issue with the Snipping tool. About the only thing that works (sort of) is a video snip. The result shows what's actually being stored in the video RAM when you run a game full screen, and perhaps goes some way to explain why the snipping tool is not the right tool for the job.

View attachment 137126

The right tool would appear to be the Game Bar.

Game Bar | Microsoft Windows

Get the most out of your Windows 11 experience with Game Bar. Game Bar works with most PC games, giving you instant access to widgets for screen capture and sharing and chatting with Xbox friends across Windows PCs, Xbox consoles, and mobile—all without leaving your game.

www.microsoft.com

The huge downside with the Game Bar being that it captures the whole screen rather than a selection of your choosing.

SnipToolMadness · 2025-06-17T12:42:53-0400

I do however have a "happy-ish" update

I was able to restore old functionality at the very least.

If you set the default app for "MS-SCREENCLIP" to the built-in Screen Snipping app and then "MS-SCREENSKETCH" to the Snipping Tool you can open the old interface with WIN+SHIFT+S and it will pop up the dialogue from the new Snipping Tool to apply markup.

The downside of this approach is that I haven't been able to figure out a way to launch the new Snipping Tool interface without launching the app directly.

WIN+SHIFT+R for instance which is supposed to open the recording interface opens the old screen snipping tool instead.

Along with the fact it doesn't appear there is a way to use the screen record interface in fullscreen-exclusive mode.

I'm happy to at least return to old functionality but a bit sad that it seems like MS changed the way the snipping tool works for the worse. Makes no sense as the overlay for game mode as you said works just fine, or even the old overlay which is almost identical.

Something, Something, UWP apps....

Bree · 2025-06-17T12:45:29-0400

SnipToolMadness said:
The huge downside with the Game Bar being that it captures the whole screen rather than a selection of your choosing.

Then if you want to use only the built in tools, capture the whole screen, view the screenshot, then use the snipping tool to select the part you want.

SnipToolMadness · 2025-06-17T13:13:05-0400

Bree said:
Then if you want to use only the built in tools, capture the whole screen, view the screenshot, then use the snipping tool to select the part you want.

Seems a bit inefficient not only in steps/friction but just from a size standpoint, high res full screen snips start taking up space after a while haha

I'm mostly happy with my current workaround mainly just sad that I'll have to setup some other hotkey to use the modern snip menu (once again going outside the system so to speak).

The one true downside or fault so to speak that I've found is there is no way to use the snipping tools record feature in a full screen app, and before anyone says anything, yes I use OBS.

The "strength" of the snipping tool would have been to just be able to
-press hotkey
-draw desired area
-record
-markup
-share
easy as pie and all within the Win 11 ecosystem so to speak

Maybe this was just a pipe dream but it seem like it could definitely work as one of the implementations of the snip tool still works in fullscreen.

Just my two cents....

SnipToolMadness · 2025-06-17T13:18:17-0400

SnipToolMadness said:
I do however have a "happy-ish" update

I was able to restore old functionality at the very least.

If you set the default app for "MS-SCREENCLIP" to the built-in Screen Snipping app and then "MS-SCREENSKETCH" to the Snipping Tool you can open the old interface with WIN+SHIFT+S and it will pop up the dialogue from the new Snipping Tool to apply markup.

The downside of this approach is that I haven't been able to figure out a way to launch the new Snipping Tool interface without launching the app directly.

WIN+SHIFT+R for instance which is supposed to open the recording interface opens the old screen snipping tool instead.

Along with the fact it doesn't appear there is a way to use the screen record interface in fullscreen-exclusive mode.

I'm happy to at least return to old functionality but a bit sad that it seems like MS changed the way the snipping tool works for the worse. Makes no sense as the overlay for game mode as you said works just fine, or even the old overlay which is almost identical.

Something, Something, UWP apps....

Just in the interest of helping those that come after lol

I also have a video of the Screen recording functionality I'm talking about if anyone cares haha

Snipping Tool no longer working in Fullscreen applications

New member

My Computer

♦ ♦

My Computers

New member

My Computer

♦ ♦

My Computers

Well-known member

My Computers

♦ ♦

My Computers

KS farmboy,, USN,, Ret. ATC

My Computers

aka Mama Glass

My Computers

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

Well-known member

My Computers

New member

My Computer

New member

My Computer

Similar threads