print screen stopped working

[mazboy]

my screen print stopped working.

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @mazboy 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Got it.  Let’s narrow this down — “Print Screen” (PrtScn) not working can be caused by a Windows setting, a background app, or even a driver update. 

Here are the key things to try:

Step 1: Check the Print Screen Shortcut Setting

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard (or Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard on Windows 10).

Scroll to Print Screen shortcut.

Make sure “Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping” is ON.

If it’s OFF, Windows won’t respond to PrtScn at all.

Step 2: Try Different Key Combos

PrtScn alone → Copies full screen to clipboard. Paste into Paint/Word/Outlook.

Alt + PrtScn → Captures only the active window.

Windows + Shift + S → Opens Snip & Sketch (modern snipping tool).

Fn + PrtScn → Some HP keyboards/laptops require holding Fn.

Step 3: Check Background Apps

Sometimes apps like OneDrive, Dropbox, or Snagit override PrtScn.

Open the system tray (bottom right).

If OneDrive is active, check OneDrive > Settings > Backup > Screenshots → disable or enable depending on preference.

Step 4: Update Keyboard & Display Drivers

Open Device Manager.

Expand Keyboards → Right-click → Update driver.

Do the same for Display adapters.

Restart and test again.

Step 5: Quick Workaround

If PrtScn still won’t work, you can always use:

Windows + Shift + S (built-in snipping tool).

Or Windows + PrtScn (captures entire screen and saves directly to Pictures > Screenshots).

Can you tell me: when you press PrtScn, does anything happen (like clipboard data, or saved screenshot), or is it totally dead? That’ll tell us if it’s a hardware key issue or just a Windows setting.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye