It is a frustrating situation when you want to take an important screenshot on your PC but the Print Screen key is not working. Recently, this problem has appeared on a lot of Windows desktops and laptops, and the users have been expelling out their anger in various forums. If you are one of them, we will provide the best solutions here.
In this post, I will guide you on how to fix the Print Screen key not working issue on Windows 10 computers. You will find the 6 most accurate resolutions for this annoying problem. The next time whenever you are unable to take a screenshot, the Print Screen key will never confine you.
What is the Print Screen Key Not Working Issue on Windows 10?
A lot of Windows 10 users have been recently reporting that their Print Screen is not working, partially or completely. When this issue appears, you will not be able to capture the screen of your desktop or laptop despite pressing the Print Screen (prt sc) key countless times.
Some users were able to fix the problem with a simple Restart, while some weren’t. If you haven’t tried the best general fix for any technical solution- Restart, yet, you should try your luck right now. The chances are you have already tried it with no luck.
Don’t worry, the solutions I’m going to provide are going to work out for you. Before that, I’m going to provide a bit of technical knowledge about the causes of this issue. If you want to skip it, you can directly move to the solutions and start applying them.
What causes this problem?
The Print Screen key not working issue can happen due to a number of reasons. A lot of times it appears due to software-related causes, while sometimes it may also appear due to hardware issues. Based on the cause, you can find the most suitable solution for the error, and fix it quickly.
The most common software-based causes for this problem are- conflicting of the Print Screen feature by other apps, the prt sc key being locked, outdated, corrupted, or incorrectly configured keyboard rivers, or a virus or malware. If the issue is appearing on your PC due to one of these reasons, you’ll fix it by the end of this post.
6 Solutions fix the Print Screen key not working issue
Here are the 5 best solutions to fix the frustrating Print Screen key not functioning issue.
You can use these solutions to get rid of the trouble and capture screenshots of any web-page, image, etc.
1. Check if the Print Screen Key is locked
If you are using a computer whose keyboard features an F Mode Key or an F Lock Key, then you should press them to enable to Print Screen key before using it. These keys are used to lock the Fn (Function) keys.
If the keyboard doesn’t have either of these, then you should try using the solutions available below.
2. Close All Other Programs (Foreground+Background)
A lot of times this issue arises when some programs like Snipping tool, OneDrive, Dropbox, BlueStacks, etc take over the Print Screen key. So, a simple way to solve the problem is by closing all the programs running on the computer.
You can close the programs running in the foreground easily. However, to close the apps running in the background, you have to press and hold the CTRL+ALT+DELETE keys to trigger the Task Manager. From these, close all the running programs and then check if this solves the problem.
3. Try Hotkey Combinations
If you are pressing the prt sc key and getting no response, then you should try some alternate hotkey combinations. You can try using these:
alt+prt sc (ALT Key+Print Screen Key)– This combination will capture the window that is selected currently. You can save the image using Paint or other picture editing apps.
Win+prt sc (Windows Key+ Print Screen Key)– This combination will capture the screenshot and save the image to the computer’s default picture saving location.
Note: If you are on a laptop, try using the Fn+Windows Key+Print Screen Key combination.
4. Update Drivers to Fix Print Screen Key Not Working
Outdated, corrupted, or incorrectly configured keyboard drivers are a common cause of this annoying issue. So, you can easily fix it by updating the drivers. Follow these steps in order to do that:
Step-1: Press and hold the Windows + X keys together to trigger the Power user menu, and then select Device Manager from it.
Step-2: In the Device Manager, expand the Keyboards section, and then right-click on the Standard PS/2 Keyboard.
Step-3: Next, click on Update Driver.
Step-4: Next, click on the ‘Search automatically for updated driver software‘ and wait for your computer to install the updates.
Step-5: Once the drivers are updated, restart your computer.
That’s it. This will surely solve the problem. If you are already using the latest drivers, then you can use the next solution.
5. Update Windows
Windows updates are provided to fix the existing bugs and improvise the overall performance. If you haven’t updated your system for a long time, then you may experience the Print Screen key not working issue due to a bug. To solve the problem, simply follow these steps:
Step-1: Press the Windows + I keys to trigger the Settings app.
Step-2: In the Settings window, click on Update & Security.
Step-3: Now click on ‘Check for updates.’ Wait for Windows to find any available updates.
Step-4: Install the available updates immediately. Make sure you save any unsaved work before proceeding.
That’s it. This is how you can update Windows to fix this issue.
6. Use Alternative Apps to Take Screenshots
If none of the above solutions have worked for you, then the issue might be hardware-related, and you won’t be able to rectify it yourself. However, there is a workaround that you can still use- you can use the alternative apps to capture screenshots on your computer. Here are some of the apps you can use:
- Snaggit (Premium tool)
- Screenshot Capture (Chrome Extension- Press Alt+S to take a screenshot)
- My Print Screen
- Lightshot (App & Chrome Extention)
There are many more tools, but these are some of the highest-rated ones.
Final Words
The Print Screen key may not be a frequently used key but is definitely a crucial one. When it stops working, you may face a lot of problems. This is how you can tackle them by fixing the Print Screen key not working issue. Once fixed, you will be able to capture the screen like before on your PC. However, if you believe there are some physical problems with the keyboard, you should consider getting it repaired or fixed by professionals.
That’s all for this post. I hope it helps you enough. Feel free to use the comment box to share your opinions about it.
