Disable Print Screen keyboard shortcut for Snipping Tool
- Windows onlyThis script improves your privacy on Windows
- Single actionThis page belongs to a script, containing basic changes to achieve a task.
- Impact: High
System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: High
This action improves privacy with high impact when you run the recommended script.
- Batch (batchfile)These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
- Administrator rights requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
- Fully reversible
You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.
The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.
Overview
This script prevents the Print Screen key from launching the Snipping Tool.
This is the default Windows behavior starting from Windows 11 22H2 1.
The script targets the HKCU\Control Panel\Keyboard\PrintScreenKeyForSnippingEnabled
registry key.
This key toggles the setting "Use the Print screen button to open screen snipping" in the control panel 1 2 3.
Changing this setting through the user interface also modifies this registry entry 3.
This key is absent by default in modern Windows versions, confirmed through testing starting with Windows
10 22H2 and Windows 11 23H2, which indicates that the Print Screen shortcut is enabled.
Applying these changes requires restarting File Explorer (explorer.exe
) 3.
Both explorer.exe
4 and Taskbar.dll
5 reads this configuration at startup.
This script should only be used by advanced users.
This script is not recommended for daily use as it breaks important functionality.
Consider creating a system restore point before doing any changes.
Sources
- Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22621.1546 and 22624.1546. Windows Insider Blog. blogs.windows.com. (2024).
Original: https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2023/04/07/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-22621-1546-and-22624-1546
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240424111406/https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2023/04/07/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-22621-1546-and-22624-1546/ - Enable or Disable Use Print Screen Key to Open Screen Snipping in Windows 11 Tutorial. Windows 11 Forum. www.elevenforum.com. (2024).
Original: https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-use-print-screen-key-to-open-screen-snipping-in-windows-11.520
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240424111351/https://www.elevenforum.com/t/enable-or-disable-use-print-screen-key-to-open-screen-snipping-in-windows-11.520/ - [BUG]: Snipping Tool still can be executable via its keyboard shortcut · Issue #343 · undergroundwires/privacy.sexy · GitHub. github.com. (2024).
Original: https://github.com/undergroundwires/privacy.sexy/issues/343
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20240424100904/https://github.com/undergroundwires/privacy.sexy/issues/343 - 10_0_22622_601/C/Windows/System32/Taskbar.dll.strings at c598035e1a6627384d646140fe9e4d234b36b11d · WinDLLsExports/10_0_22622_601 · GitHub. github.com. (2025).
Original: https://github.com/privacysexy-forks/10_0_22622_601/blob/c598035e1a6627384d646140fe9e4d234b36b11d/C/Windows/System32/Taskbar.dll.strings#L9711 - 10_0_22621_891/C/Windows/explorer.exe.strings at fde7af7776698377aceb48a54bcf7bedaadd5c2d · WinDLLsExports/10_0_22621_891 · GitHub. (2025).
Original: https://github.com/privacysexy-forks/10_0_22621_891/blob/fde7af7776698377aceb48a54bcf7bedaadd5c2d/C/Windows/explorer.exe.strings#L7645
Apply Now
Choose one of three ways to apply:
Download script
Download and run the script directly- No app needed
- Offline usage
- Easy-to-apply
- Free
- Open-source
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable Print Screen keyboard shortcut for Snipping Tool" using script
- ≈ 2 min to complete
- Tools: Web Browser
- Difficulty: Simple
- ≈ 5 instructions
- 1
Download
Download the script file by clicking on thebutton above.
Use button above to restore changes. - 2
Keep the file
If warned by your browser, keep the file. - 3
Open
Open the downloaded file. - 4
Exit
Once it's done, press any key to exit the window. - 5
Restart
Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.
Apply with privacy.sexy
Guided, automated application with safety checks- Recommended for most users
- Includes safety checks
- Free
- Open-source
- Popular
- Offline/Online usage
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable Print Screen keyboard shortcut for Snipping Tool" using privacy.sexy
- ≈ 3 min to complete
- Tools: privacy.sexy
- Difficulty: Simple
- ≈ 4 instructions
- 2
Choose script
- Search for the script name: Disable Print Screen keyboard shortcut for Snipping Tool
- Check the script by clicking on the checkbox.
- 3
Run
Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.
- Apply
- Revert
:: Set the registry value: "HKCU\Control Panel\Keyboard!PrintScreenKeyForSnippingEnabled"
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$registryPath = 'HKCU\Control Panel\Keyboard'; $data = '0'; reg add 'HKCU\Control Panel\Keyboard' /v 'PrintScreenKeyForSnippingEnabled' /t 'REG_DWORD' /d "^""$data"^"" /f"
:: Suggest restarting explorer.exe for changes to take effect
PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "$message = 'This script will not take effect until you restart explorer.exe. You can restart explorer.exe by restarting your computer or by running following on command prompt: `taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & start explorer`.'; $warn = $false; if ($warn) { Write-Warning "^""$message"^""; } else { Write-Host "^""Note: "^"" -ForegroundColor Blue -NoNewLine; Write-Output "^""$message"^""; }"
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
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable Print Screen keyboard shortcut for Snipping Tool" using commands
- ≈ 2 min to complete
- Tools: Command Prompt
- Difficulty: Medium
- ≈ 3 instructions
- 1
Open Command Prompt
Open Command Prompt as Administrator. - 2
Copy code
Copy the code: - 3
Paste & run
Paste the commands into Command Prompt and press Enter to run.Some changes require a system restart to take effect
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About the Creators
These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:
Reviewed By
This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:Expert review by undergroundwires
- Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
- Assessed system impact and user privacy risks
Public review by large community
- Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
- Millions of end-users tested across different environments
History
We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.