The "Print Screen" key is found on most Windows computers' keyboards. Windows users can capture the entire screen of the PC by simply pressing the “Print Screen” key.

Sometimes, you may have issues with this key, as the Print Screen button doesn’t always work. This post shares eight available ways to help you solve the Print Screen button not working problem. Just continue reading!

Method 1. Make sure you’ve pressed the correct key

Have you pressed the correct Print Screen key? This key is usually labeled “Print Screen”, "PrtScn", “Prn Scr”, “Prtc” or something similar on your keyboard. Please ensure you have pressed the Print Screen key instead of some other keys.

Note:

1.Some Windows desktop computers and laptops, such as the HP Envy x360, place the Print Screen function on a different key, such as Shift.

2.On some other Windows devices, you might have to press the Function (Fn) and Print Screen keys together when taking a capture of your screen.

Method 2. Enable the Print Screen shortcut

The Print Screen key takes effect only when the Print Screen shortcut is enabled in Windows. So, you can check if the Print Screen shortcut is allowed if the key doesn’t work.

Check below to learn how to enable the Print Screen shortcut.

Step 1. Press “Windows + U” keys to quickly open Ease of Access.

Step 2. On the left menu, click on Keyboard.

Step 3. Find the Print Screen shortcut section and turn it ON if it is off.

turn on print screen shortcut

Method 3. Stop Background programs

Some background programs, such as OneDrive, Dropbox, Snippet tool, etc., may cause the Print Screen not working issue. For instance, OneDrive may automatically save screenshots you take to its server.

So, you can close the programs to fix the screenshot issue. Just follow the steps below.

Step 1. Press the “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” keys on your keyboard at the same time to open the Task Manager.

Step 2. Here, you'll see a list of all the programs that run on your computer. To disable a program, click on it and select "End Task".

task manager end task

Note that some programs may be essential for the proper functioning of your system, so be careful not to disable any important ones.

Method 4. Restart your computer

Sometimes, a quick restart can fix many problems and bugs in your Windows PC. It is a simple trick that is worth a try.

Check the quick steps below.

Step 1. Click on the Start menu in the bottom left corner of the screen.

Step 2. Click on the Power icon and select “Restart” in the pop-up window. Your PC will close all open programs, save any unsaved data, and then restart.

restart the windows computer

Alternatively, you can also restart your PC by pressing the “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” keys on your keyboard at the same time and then clicking on "Restart" in the pop-up window.

Method 5. Update the keyboard driver

An outdated or incorrect keyboard driver might cause the Print Screen button not working in Windows. If you have tried the above methods and cannot fix the screenshot issue, you can try updating your keyboard driver.

Step 1. Press “Win + X” keys, and then select the Device Manager option to open it.

Step 2. Select the Keyboards section to expand it. Then, right-click on the name of your keyboard and click the "Update Driver" button.

update driver

Step 3. Click to choose "Search automatically for drivers" to update your keyboard driver to the latest version.

Once done, check whether your Print Screen button is working or not.

Method 6. Update the operating system

If none of the methods above works, you can update your Windows to the latest version. This can fix bugs and bring you new features.

Here’s how to update Windows.

Step 1. Press your keyboard's Windows + I keys to open the Settings app.

Step 2. In the Settings app, click on "Update & Security".

Step 3. In the left menu, select "Windows Update".

Step 4. In the right pane, click on "Check for updates".

Step 5. If any updates are available, they will be downloaded and installed automatically. You may need to restart your computer for the updates to take effect.

Note: If you don't see the option to update to the latest version of Windows, it's possible that your device is not eligible for the update. This can be due to many factors, such as the age of your device, the version of Windows you're currently using, and the hardware your device has. In this case, you may need to purchase a newer device to get the latest version of Windows.

Method 7. Use keyboard hotkey combinations

Even though the Print Screen key itself doesn’t work, you can still try to use it with other keys together to see if you can take screenshots.

Press the “Windows + PrtScn” keys on your keyboard. This will capture a screenshot of the entire screen and save it as a file in the "Screenshots" folder in your "Pictures" library.
Press the “Alt + PrtScn” keys on your keyboard. This will capture a screenshot of the active window (the window that you are currently using) and save it to the clipboard. You can then paste the screenshot into an image editing program or document to save it.
Press the “Windows + Shift + S” keys on your keyboard. This will open the Snip & Sketch tool, allowing you to capture a portion of the screen. Once you have chosen the area you want to capture, a screenshot of the selection will be copied to the clipboard. You can then paste the screenshot into an image editing program or document to save it.

Method 8. Use Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

If the Print Screen button not working issue still cannot be solved after you’ve tried all the above seven methods, you can try to use another screenshot tool to help you take screenshots on your Windows PC.

If so, you are recommended to use Awesome Screenshot & Recorder, a 2-in-1 screenshot capture and screen recording extension available on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

Awesome Screenshot & Recorder lets you take screenshots, record the screen, edit screenshots/videos, easily upload files to the cloud storage, share files instantly, etc. As a powerful screenshot tool, it allows you to capture a screenshot from the entire screen, a scrolling web page, a specific window, or any selected area. You will like its screenshot capabilities and ease of use.

Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

One extension for all your screen recordings & screenshots

Record screen and capture screenshots easily
Edit videos/images quickly
Store videos/images to the cloud and share instantly

Here is how to take a screenshot using Awesome Screenshot & Recorder.

Step 1. Download and install the Awesome Screenshot extension to your browser.

Step 2. Open the webpage that you want to capture on your HP computer.

Step 3. Click on the Awesome Screenshot icon in the browser toolbar to launch it. Hit the “Capture” tab, then select the type of screenshot you want to take: full page, visible part of the page, or a selected area.

capture interface of awesome screenshot & recorder

Step 4. The screenshot will be captured and displayed in the Awesome Screenshot interface. If desired, use the annotation tools to add text, shapes, and other visual elements to the screenshot. When you are finished, click on the "Done" button.

annotation tools of awesome screenshot & recorder extension

Step 5. You can choose to Download it to your Mac, Copy or Print it directly, or Upload it to the cloud storage for easy sharing.

download option of awesome screenshot & recorder extension

If you have uploaded your screenshots to Awesome Screenshot & Recorder’s cloud storage, you can check and manage the files in “My Items” anytime!

Conclusion

We hope this article is helpful for you to fix the Print Screen not working issue.

8 Ways to Fix Print Screen Button Not Working in Windows

Miley Shen

Miley Shen