Microsoft is changing the behavior of the Print Screen key to open its screenshot tool, the first big change to functionality in 28 years

Windows users don’t like Microsoft changing long-used and familiar features in their operating system, so changing something that hasn’t changed in 28 years is always going to cause controversy. Nevertheless, it seems that the Redmond firm is considering changing the button print cran a button that opens the Windows 11 Snipping Tool. Microsoft has, however, included a way to undo this change by going to the Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard menu and disabling the “Use print screen key to open snipping tool” option. It can also be changed by editing the registry.

The Print Screen button performs the same function in the Windows operating system since Windows 95: take a screenshot of the current screen and copy it to the clipboard, usually so that you can edit it in another program. .

Microsoft is changing how it works in Windows 11. For the first time in decades, the default behavior will now open Microsoft’s Snipping Tool instead of capturing an image of your entire screen and copy to clipboard. Microsoft has started testing this change in recent beta versions of Windows 11.

While Windows 11 already has a setting that lets you change the print screen to open the snipping tool, Microsoft will set it as the default behavior in the upcoming KB5025310 update. In the Settings section of its blog post, Microsoft notes this upcoming change but clarifies that you can change this option in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. By doing so, Windows 11 will keep the setting you chose, otherwise it will be enabled by default.

Screenshot has always needed an overhaul, especially if you’re using a multiscreen setup because it captures all screens unless you hold ALT+ print cran to enter the active window instead. Many third-party apps have also attempted to intercept and use the button over the years. Microsoft’s OneDrive tries to save screenshots taken using print cranDropbox attempts to do the same, and apps like ShareX also default to print cran to take screenshots.

Microsoft’s choice to default the print screen to its own snipping tool may surprise or irritate some Windows 11 users, but it’s easy to roll back and IT admins should be able to control how which is rolling out to machines in the coming months.

The Windows 11 snipping tool, which combines the functionality of the old snipping tool and Snip & Sketch, is very useful. The default rectangular mode allows users to capture a selected portion of the screen, which means there is no need to crop a captured image. There is a freeform capture mode, a windowed mode, and a full-screen mode. Moreover, it allows you to take a timed screenshot, and there is even a screen recording mode in the tool.

Despite the various features of the Snipping Tool, many people prefer to keep the original function of the print screen button.

Source : Microsoft

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