Microsoft is changing how the Print Screen key works in Windows 11

Traditionally, the legacy “Print Screen” or PrtScn button in your keyboard has been what you’d use to take a fast, straightforward snapshot of no matter is in your display screen. Now, that function is changing quickly—though you don’t need to let it.

Earlier this month, Microsoft started pushing Build 22624.1546 to the Windows Insider Beta Channel—the channel for modifications that will come to your PC someday in the future. That construct modifications the habits of the PrtScn button. Instead of triggering the Print Screen perform, it opens the Snipping Tool app as a substitute by default.

To be honest, the Snipping Tool app is fairly versatile. It doesn’t provide the one-click performance of PrtScn, however the software does provide a full-screen snip functionality, identical to the legacy shortcut. It additionally gives the means to “snip” no matter’s in your present window, the total display screen, or a customized area. Microsoft even plans on including the means to report video clips from the Snipping Tool, so that you’ll be capable to report a small video of how to do one thing… like a display screen snip.

What it’s possible you’ll not know is that this performance is already dwell in Windows 11, which additionally permits you to flip it off. If you enter the Windows Settings menu, you need to see Accessibility, then Keyboard. There’s a particular choice to “Use the Print screen button to open screen snipping.” That’s almost definitely off by default.

Microsoft

Microsoft says that it’ll protect that choice even when the new performance is pushed to Windows customers someday in the future. We suspect that received’t be the case, however not less than you understand how to regulate it as soon as it does.

So, is the conventional PrtScn or “Print Screen” perform is going away? Probably not. On our take a look at machine (a Microsoft Surface, which typically displays Microsoft’s modifications), the “Print Screen” perform nonetheless works, though there’s no “flash” to point that it does. Simply opening Paint and pasting onto the canvas utilizing CTRL-V, nevertheless, works simply high quality.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Most customers, nevertheless, don’t like their established patterns and routines modified with out their consent. Microsoft is doing simply that, however you possibly can undo the modifications for those who like.

Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor