Windows Print Screen Not Working? Here’s What To Do

Do you use a Windows application, and you’ve noticed in recent times that the print screen for your PC is not working? Well, this is an issue that many Windows users face, but it is not something to be worried about as there are quick fixes you can initiate to resolve the issue.

The major challenge many face is identifying what is causing the print screen function not to work. This may be downright impossible to do unless you are a programming expert.

A print screen issue may occur when you try to capture your desktop screen for a screenshot. For Windows 10, simply pressing the (PrtSc) button will capture a screenshot and save it automatically to your clipboard. But what if this action does not work? What do you do? Continue reading to learn how to fix this problem.

Windows Print Screen Not Working: What To Do

Fix 1 – Stop All Background Programs

One way to fix the issue is to suspend all background programs. Common examples of background programs that may affect your print screen function are Dropbox, Snippet tool and OneDrive. To close any background program, do the following;

• Press Ctrl + Shift key + Esc key together to open the Task Manager bar
• Right-click the program you want to close and choose “End Task” to close it

Fix 2 – Use A Combination Of Hotkeys

You can correct a print screen not working issue by suspending a combination of hotkeys. Just use your keyboard. Hold the Alt Key and Print Screen key to capture any selected window and let it save automatically to any of your edit applications.

Then hold the Window key + PrintScreen hotkeys to capture the screen and save it to the screenshot folder. This image can be found in your Pictures folder but note that for laptops, the hotkeys to use are “Fn + Windows key + PrintScreen.

Fix 3 – Check The F Mode/ F Lock Key 

Check the F Mode or F Lock Key on your keyboard. If these keys are active, the print screen will not work. To rectify the issue, disable the keys by pressing them again. This action will deactivate them, and your print screen will start working again. Note that some keyboards have highlighter keys to let you know when they are active.

Fix 4 – Update Keyboard Driver

One tested method is to update the keyboard driver. Microsoft regularly releases updates, and if you don’t update your driver, they may not perform at optimum levels or may not work at all. Beyond that, an outdated driver may affect other functions. Check to see if your keyboard driver is outdated. If it is, follow these steps to update it.

• Pressure the Windows key + X and choose Device Manager from the menu
• Expand the keyboard directory and right-click the Standard PS/2 keyboard icon. Select Update Driver
• Click “Search automatically to update driver software” and wait for Windows to install it

After doing all these, reboot the system, and your print screen should start working again; if not, follow these steps:

• Go to the manufacturer’s website to get the required driver. Select the file you want to extract it
• Open Device Manager, enlarge Keyboard and right-click the Standard PS/2 function to update the driver
• Choose Browse computer for driver software, then click “Let me pick from the list”. Choose the driver update you want and click Next

Reboot the computer to save the changes and check to see if PrintScreen is working now.

Fix 5 – Use A Third-Party Tool

The four methods explained above ought to get your print screen working again; if not, you should consider using a third-party snipping tool. Third-party tools in Windows can help you capture screenshots ls as well as the PrintScreen function. You may not know this tool is active in your windows; you just need to activate it using these steps.

• Press the Windows + S keys, then select the snipping tool to launch it
• Click the Mode icon to select the snipping tool from the menu pop up

This action will temporarily capture your screen and save it to the screenshot folder. From there, you can copy it and paste into any other window or save it to your pictures folder.

Conclusion

Your print screen may stop working for a number of reasons. It may be hard for you to track the root cause but try any of these quick fixes to resolve the issue. If nothing works, just use any third-party tool. Third party tools work as well as print screen function.