Windows is eliminating a nearly two-decades-old feature of PC keyboards, to the dismay of users.
PC keyboards’ Print Screen button copies a screenshot for pasting into Paint.
Now, Windows 11’s KB5025310 upgrade will launch Microsoft’s Snipping Tool instead of Print Screen.
The controversial new update arrives nearly two years after the original release of Windows 11; however, it can be rectified.
In a blog post, Microsoft announced it and other new Insider programme features.
The Print Screen button will no longer automatically reproduce screenshots, resulting in additional time-consuming obstacles for Windows users.
Instead, they must use Snipping Tool to manually capture a screenshot before duplicating and pasting it.
Windows 11 already allows users to launch the Snipping Tool by selecting the Print Screen key. But the new KB5025310 update makes this the default behavior.
On a Windows 11 machine, go to Settings, Accessibility, then Keyboard to restore Print Screen functionality.
Then, you have the option to toggle ‘Use the Print Screen key to access the Snipping Tool’ on or off.
Windows displays the following message: “If you have previously modified this setting, your preference will be preserved.”
On social media, the news of the transition, which was first reported by The Verge, received mixed reviews.
One Twitter user stated, “I dislike this.” Launching another software, like the snipping tool, may cause screen objects to disappear or jumble.
Another user suggested: “Why not take a screenshot and automatically open it in the Snipping tool for editing?”
However, another user described it as a “huge improvement in quality of life.”
Print Screen, which first appeared on PC keyboards in the 1980s, is frequently shortened to PrtSc or PrtScn to fit on the key.
If it shares a key with another function, it may require users to first press and hold the Alt key.
When it was first introduced to keyboards, the Print Screen key captured the on-screen text and sent it to the computer’s printer port.
In contrast, modern usage over the past two decades has captured an immediate snapshot of the entire user’s screen.
One potential issue with the current functionality of the Print Screen icon is that it captures a screenshot without indicating that it has done so, which could confuse you.
However, Microsoft may wish to direct users to its redesigned Snipping Tool, which was introduced with Windows 11.
Windows 11 was unveiled with much fanfare in June 2021 and released to the public in October, four months later.
It also incorporated a new color scheme for the infamous blue screen of death, a new ‘Start’ icon in the center of the taskbar, and Android applications on the desktop.
Microsoft added screen recording’ to the new Snipping Tool last year, allowing users to record the output of their computer screen as a video.
As an alternative to the conventional ‘Snip’ tab for capturing images, users have the option of clicking the ‘Record’ tab at the top.
Microsoft released three new Surface touchscreen devices designed to operate with Windows 11 last year, including a £4,699 update to its all-in-one PC.
However, the company has recently made headlines for its work with OpenAI, the creator of the wildly successful AI tool ChatGPT.
Microsoft has integrated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine, which was once a formidable competitor to Google Search but has since fallen far behind.
