4 Best Ways to Fix Windows 10 Not Taking Screenshots

Although there are 8 ways to take screenshots on a Windows computer, some users still struggle with it. For many people, the shortcut commands don’t work and the captured screenshots are difficult to locate. Do you experience this problem? Read this guide to learn how to easily take screenshots on your Windows PC.

Usually, this issue occurs when a background app is interfering with your PC’s screenshot operations. Some apps could cause captured screenshots to be saved in a different directory on your PC, making you think your device doesn’t take screenshots. It’s not the dedicated Print Screen button that gave up. Other factors are responsible for this issue and we’ll highlight them with solutions in this post.

1. Close Interfering Apps

Check if any background apps are interfering with the screenshot feature. Use Task Manager to close apps one by one and identify the culprit. This interference is often caused by cloud storage apps like Dropbox, OneDrive, or the Windows Snipping Tool. Some users have also found that closing third-party snipping tools and photo editing apps restored their PC’s screenshot functionality. To open Task Manager, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or tap ‘Windows key + X’ to access the Quick Access Menu and select Task Manager.

After scanning through the Apps and Background processes sections, close any active cloud storage and photo editing app that could be causing your Windows PC not to take screenshots.

To close an app from the Windows Task Manager, tap the app and click the End task button.

Try taking a screenshot after closing these apps and check if it works.

2. Modify OneDrive Settings

By default, screenshots on a Windows computer are saved in a sub-folder in the Pictures section of the File Explorer.

If your screenshots don’t appear in the folder, it could be because:

1. Your PC isn’t taking screenshots.

2. Screenshots are being saved elsewhere on your PC.

One app that saves screenshots to a different location is OneDrive. Sometimes, screenshots you capture are automatically saved to the OneDrive folder. If you can’t find your screenshots on your PC, check your OneDrive settings.

Step 1: Right-click the OneDrive icon at the bottom-right corner of your PC’s taskbar.

Step 2: Click on Settings.

To open a new OneDrive Settings window, follow these steps:

1. Open the “Settings” window.

2. Look for the “Backup” section.

Step 4: Uncheck the ‘Automatically save screenshots to OneDrive’ option and select OK to save the changes.

Now, check if the screenshots are visible in your PC’s default screenshot folder.

3. Update Keyboard Driver

You may encounter issues using keyboard shortcuts for capturing screenshots if your PC’s keyboard driver is faulty, incompatible with your device’s OS, or outdated. Try updating your keyboard driver and check if your PC’s screenshot functionality is restored.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Use the Windows key + X shortcut to launch the Quick Access Menu and select Device Manager.

2. Tap the Keyboard drop-down icon to reveal your PC’s keyboard driver.

Step 3: Right-click the keyboard driver and select Update driver.

Step 4: Next, select ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.

Note: For efficient results, make sure your PC is connected to the internet. This will prompt the Device Manager to search for an updated version of your keyboard’s driver. It may take a few seconds or minutes, depending on your internet connection. If there is an update available for your keyboard driver, follow the installation prompt to install it on your PC. If you already have the latest driver installed and still cannot take screenshots, move on to the next troubleshooting option.

4. Update Windows OS

Users running old versions of Windows OS on their computers can get their PC to take screenshots by updating their operating system. If you’re facing this issue, make sure your computer’s OS is up-to-date. To do this, go to the Windows Settings menu > Update & Security > Windows update > Check for Updates.

Take Screenshots Smoothly

Remember, use one screenshot tool at a time. If keyboard shortcuts don’t work, reboot your PC or update your keyboard driver. Alternatively, you can use the Windows Snip & Sketch tool. And if none of these get things done, at least one of the troubleshooting options should restore the screenshot functionality of your Windows PC back to normalcy.

Next up: Windows and Mac have native screenshot tools, but when you need advanced features to annotate and edit your snaps, the free screenshot tools listed below can fix the chop.