Microsoft will change the way the Print Screen key works on Windows 11

Currently, the Redmond company is testing some changes to the Print Screen key in Windows 11.

There are many ways to take screenshots on Windows 11 (and Windows 10), but if your keyboard has a dedicated Print Screen key, pressing this key will be the simplest and fastest. The screenshot will be immediately saved to the system clipboard. That's been the default behavior for a long time — since Windows 95 — but Microsoft is now testing something different in builds of Windows 11.

Microsoft will change the way the Print Screen key works on Windows 11 Picture 1

Specifically, Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23419 is currently being tested in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider program. In it, when you press the Print Screen key, instead of taking a screenshot immediately and saving it to the clipboard, the system will now open a dedicated screen capture tool Snipping Tool. In case you don't find this change helpful, Microsoft says the preference can be reverted by navigating to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.

All are just in beta to gather feedback from the Windows 11 Insider user community. It also does not rule out the possibility that Microsoft may revoke this change before it is released to everyone. The new behavior may be easier to understand for novice Windows users, as there is no visual indication after pressing Print Screen that the screenshot has been initialized and saved, but it can also be confusing. For longtime users, who are used to pressing Print Screen to capture the screen quickly.

In related news, the Snipping Tool is getting a big feature added in the latest Windows 11 release: Moment 2. In addition to taking pictures, this familiar tool is now capable of recording all but what is happening on the screen.

David Pac

Update 27 March 2023