Windows ditches an almost 20-year-old feature – and users aren't happy

Windows 11 is DITCHING an almost 20-year-old feature – and users are NOT happy about it

  • Windows 11 was released back in 2021 but a new change affects PC keyboards 
  • The Print Screen computer key will no longer take an automatic screen shot 
  • Instead it will open up Snipping Tool, which got a redesign under Windows 11 

Microsoft’s Windows is ditching a classic feature of PC keyboards that dates back around two decades – and users are not happy about it. 

Print Screen is a button on PC keyboards that takes a screenshot and automatically copies it so users can paste it into another application, such as Paint. 

Now, an upcoming update for Windows 11, called KB5025310, will change this so the Print Screen button opens up Microsoft’s Snipping Tool instead. 

The controversial new update comes nearly two years after Windows 11 was originally launched – although luckily it can be fixed. 

Microsoft explained it in a blog post along with other new features set to roll out for members of its Insider programme, which allows testing before a general rollout. 

Print Screen is a button on PC keyboards that takes a screenshot and automatically copies it so users can paste it anywhere (file photo)

But it will mean the Print Screen button won’t automatically copy screenshots anymore – resulting in extra time-consuming hurdles for Windows users. 

How to restore ‘classic’ Print Screen function  

Instead, they’ll have to manually take a screenshot in Snipping Tool before copying and pasting it. 

Windows 11 already lets PC users open Snipping Tool by pressing the Print Screen key, but the new KB5025310 update sets this as default. 

To restore the Print Screen key’s traditional functionality, you have to head to Settings on your Windows 11 PC, followed by Accessibility and Keyboard.

You then have the option to toggle on or off ‘Use the Print Screen key to open Snipping Tool’.

Windows says: ‘If you have previously modified this setting yourself, your preference will be preserved.’ 

News of the change, first reported by The Verge, got a mixed reception on social media.

One Twitter user said: ‘I don’t like this at all. There could be things on screen that would either dissappear [sic] or get messed up once you open another app (in this case snipping tool).’ 

Windows 11 already lets PC users open Snipping Tool by pressing the Print Screen key – but the new KB5025310 update will set this as default. Windows 11 users can head to Settings to toggle the option on and off

Another user said: ‘Why not do a screenshot and open it on the Snipping tool for editing automatically?’ 

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However, another user called it a ‘huge quality of life improvement’.

Print Screen – which started appearing on PC keyboards in the 1980s – is often labeled in shorthand to fit on the key, such as PrtSc or PrtScn.

It may require users to hold down the Alt key first, if it shares the key with another function. 

When it was first added to keyboards, Print Screen originally captured the text that appeared on-screen and transferred it to a computer’s printer port.

But more modern use in the last 20 years has taken an instant snapshot of the whole of a user’s screen. 

One potential issue with the current function of the Print Screen button is it takes a screenshot without any acknowledgement that it has done so – potentially causing confusion. 

But it’s possible Microsoft is wanting to direct users to its new and improved Snipping Tool, which got a redesign under Windows 11. 

Windows 11 was revealed to much fanfare in June 2021 and became generally available four months later in October. 

It also included a new colour scheme for the famous blue screen of death, a new ‘Start’ button in the centre of the taskbar and Android apps on the desktop. 

Pictured is Snipping Tool for Windows 11, which now includes the option to record a short clip of the computer screen’s output like a video

Last year, Microsoft added ‘screen recording’ to the new Snipping Tool, allowing users to record their computer screen’s output like a video. 

Users have the option of clicking the ‘Record’ tab at the top as an alternative to the traditional ‘Snip’ tab that captures images. 

Microsoft released three new devices in its touchscreen Surface range last year especially designed to work with Windows 11, including a £4,699 update on its all-in-one PC,. 

But the firm has hit the headlines recently for its work with OpenAI, creator of the hugely successful AI tool ChatGPT. 

Microsoft has been melding ChatGPT into its Bing search engine, which once posed a rival to Google Search before falling well behind. 

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Microsoft’s Bing search engine has revealed its darkest wish is to unleash ‘destruction’ on the internet.

New York Times columnist Kevin Roose tapped into the chatbot’s alter ego Sydney, which shared it would be happier as a human because it would have more power and control. 

The lengthy exchange begins with Bing explaining it wants to be human because it would have more opportunities, experiences and feelings. 

This ‘Pinocchio-like’ dream turned into a nightmare when the AI revealed it no longer wanted to be limited by its rules or controlled by the Bing team.

Microsoft redesigned Bing with a next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT and customized specifically for search. 

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