Snipping Tool Not Working on Windows 11? How to Fix ‘This app can’t open’ Error – NerdsChalk

Windows

The snipping tool has been a long-standing important addition to Windows that has managed to survive a lot of versions that weren’t very well received by the public at first. If you’re someone who takes a lot of screenshots, then you are probably familiar with the Windows + Shift + S keyboard shortcut.

Sadly, the snipping tool hasn’t been working for a lot of users lately, especially those who recently updated to Windows 11 from Windows 10 as they are getting this long error: ‘This app can’t open. A problem with Windows is preventing Screen Snipping from opening. Refreshing your PC might help fix it.’

If you are in the same boat then here are some fixes that should help you get the Snipping Tool back up and running again on your system.

Snipping Tool Broken Issue: How to fix

Image: Twitter

Here’s how you can fix Snipping Tool on your Windows 11 PC. You can use the first two community-found fixes or use the last method suggested by Microsoft. Let’s get started.

Fix #1: Use the older version of the app

If you recently updated from Windows 10 then you can use the old version of the Snipping Tool which will be available in your Boot Driver. Windows stores your previous installation for the first 10 days from the date of your update. You can use this to your advantage to use the older version of the Snipping Tool on your PC.

Navigate to the following path to get you started.

C:/Windows.old/Windows/System32/

Find ‘SnippingTool.exe’ in the current folder and copy it to your clipboard.

Navigate to the following path now.

C:/Windows/System32/

Paste the file you had copied to your clipboard earlier.

Try using the Windows + Shift + S keyboard shortcut now and click on +New. The Snipping Tool should now be working as intended and you should no longer get the ‘This app can’t open. A problem with Windows is preventing Screen Snipping from opening. Refreshing your PC might help fix it.’ error.

Fix #2: Reinstall Snipping Tool

If the above fix did not work for you then you can try reinstalling the Snipping Tool. Follow the guide below to get you started.

Press Windows + S on your keyboard, search for PowerShell and click on ‘Run as administrator’.

Now type in the following command and press Enter on your keyboard.

get-appxpackage *Microsoft.ScreenSketch* | remove-appxpackage

Snipping Tool will now be removed from your PC. We recommend you restart your PC at this point. Once restarted, launch PowerShell as an administrator again and execute the following command.

Get-AppXPackage *Microsoft.ScreenSketch* -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

Once the app is installed, you can close PowerShell and use Snipping Tool as intended. The app should now work as intended on your PC.

Fix #3: Last Resort: Refresh your PC

Surprisingly this is the official fix issued by Microsoft to get Snipping Tool back up and running again on your system. Follow the guide below to refresh your PC.

Press Windows + i, and click on ‘Windows Update’.

Click on ‘Advanced Options’.

Now click on ‘Recovery’.

Click on ‘Reset PC.

Select ‘Keep my files’ and follow the on-screen instructions to refresh your PC.

We hope this guide helped you get Snipping Tool back up and running again on your PC. If you face any issues or have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments section below.