Microsoft Set To Change Print Screen Button So It Opens Snipping Tool in Windows 11 (techspot.com) 67
An anonymous reader writes: Windows users don't like it when Microsoft changes long-used and familiar functions in its OS, so altering something that's been the same for 28 years is always going to bring controversy. Nevertheless, it seems that the Redmond firm is planning on changing the Print Screen button into a key that opens the Windows 11 Snipping Tool. The Print Screen button has performed the same function in the Windows operating system since Windows 95: taking a screenshot of the current screen and copying it to the clipboard, usually so it can be edited in another program. But Windows Latest discovered that Microsoft is changing the default function of the Print Screen key in Windows 11. In the Windows 11 Beta preview builds 22621.1546 and 22624.1546, hitting the key will open the Windows Snipping Tool, Windows' built-in screenshotting tool that's currently accessed by pressing the Windows logo Key + Shift + S.
Probably their big "innovation" for 2023 (Score:5, Informative)
Lets face it, at this time all MS does is making their products worse.
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Re: Probably their big "innovation" for 2023 (Score:2)
And it remembers your search history even for local stuff.
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I recall the app having some vague notification that "snipping tool is moving" for several years now, so I guess it's about time for them to roll out the big move.
Re:Probably their big "innovation" for 2023 (Score:5, Interesting)
They're just trying to be more like KDE. The only thing wrong with what happens there (launching Spectacle) is that it takes too long. Maybe I should somehow put it into a ramdisk or something, see if that makes me happier, that sounds like a massive PITA though.
Ahem, anyway when I hit PrtSc on Plasma, Spectacle launches and takes a screenshot which I can conveniently save. Or I can click to grab an area, and save that. I'm very happy with this workflow, which is what I wanted when I was hitting PrtSc on Windows about 99% of the time. I was just running paint or something and pasting it in, my hands knew the way.
If however Microsoft does it now captures a screenshot in a timely fashion, it'll be fine. You might even be able to remap it anyway.
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Yes, I can definitely see Microsoft engineers sitting around thinking to themselves about how they can make Windows more like...KDE.
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Well, windows came after Xerox, and in a lot of ways windows inherited other bits from Unix. Why so weird that other innovations follow too?
Windows comes with SSH and some sort of package management now doesn't it?
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In the 1990s, yes, Microsoft did borrow a lot of inspiration form X-Windows. Since then, Microsoft has poured a lot of money and effort into building Windows. Xerox has not done the same.
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Only about things you care about and you chose to consider about being worse.
I agree the printscreen tool opening snipping tool is objectively "worse".
The fact that the snipping tool exists however is a clear counter point to your "all MS does is make their products worse" as it's one of the best features introduced into windows, along with docking windows.
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You have really low standard. Admittedly the only way to find anything "good" in MS products.
ugh (Score:4, Informative)
I use Print Screen to grab screen shots of drop-downs/pop-ups/right-click views/etc because those things go away when you switch to Snipping Tool to make it work. So much for screen shots that are actually helpful.
Re:ugh (Score:5, Informative)
I just tested this, and WIn-Shift-S on Win11 does not make drop-downs disappear (at least not in Chrome), neither does snipping tool when invoked with the print screen key, so...
Also, the feature is a toggle switch that lets you turn it off.
I love posts like this. Microsoft stays stagnant: "OMG Old software, no innovation!!!!11one" Microsoft changes something "OMG, why are they changing this?? Why can't they leave things alone!!!111one" It's really lose-lose for them at this point.
Re:ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
One feature that many screenshot tools tout is the ability to bind to the Print Screen key. It's something users really seem to want.
The only way it going be bad is if they make it like Edge where you can't replace it.
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As long as it does not clear temporary screen elements than I don't care. No point in breaking working features for the sake of change. I didn't need new curtains on my Windows.
Re: ugh (Score:2)
But does Alt+PrintScreen still work as it used to do?
And what if I want to do a full desktop copy over multiple screens of varying size?
Re:ugh (Score:4, Insightful)
I just tested this, and WIn-Shift-S on Win11 does not make drop-downs disappear (at least not in Chrome), neither does snipping tool when invoked with the print screen key, so...
It varies a lot on context and application. I can confirm that there are many cases where win+shift+S does in fact change the content of the screen before giving you the ability to screenshot. I haven't tried the print screen option.
I love posts like this.
Posts like this are valid. The snipping tool and its introduction are awesome. The fact that it has a unique shortcut key is equally awesome, and I have prised MS frequently for this as it is an objective improvement in the OS.
BUT! Running the snipping tool, and screenshotting the entire screen directly to the clipboard are two different things, which purposefully should have two different ways of invoking it. I'm not giving MS any points for providing a toggle to turn this off. The damn tool should do *its* job, and not encroach on a completely different tool in the OS. This is objectively a step backwards for usability.
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Correct.
This is the smartest thing they've done with Windows in years.
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The Snipping tool has a "delay" feature that lets you easily capture dropdown menus that disappear when you click something else.
Greenshot (Score:4, Insightful)
I found Greenshot to be a very useful piece of software.
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Came here to post about greenshot. Specifically, I hope they provide us a way to disable it so greenshot still works.
Oh great :( (Score:3)
They better not change CTRL-ALT-PrintScr for copying the current app while in Remote Desktop, I use that all the time and just recently was glad I didn't have to switch to the Sniping Tool to do that.
Just making things worse. Snipping tool is great, when you need it, but don't need it all the time.
They just can't help themselves (Score:5, Insightful)
I've known managers like this; they can't stop themselves from fucking with shit that's working fine. MS seems full of these types.
The irony is that there's plenty that ISN'T working right, that could use developer attention, but of course they'll ignore that in favor of crap like this. More worryingly, by fucking with it they're more likely to break it, more make it "fragile" ( calc, I'm looking at you ).
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"It's working fine" isn't incompatible with "it could be better".
This seems like a reasonable change to default behavior for the 90% use case. If you're in the 10%, change the setting.
Meh ... (Score:1)
I don't have a Print Screen button on my laptopand I don't miss it any more than I miss the 'iconic 3.5 mm audio jack' which phone manufacturers deleted years ago. The 'iconic 3,5 mm audio jack' on my laptop serves no purpose, it would probably have been relegated to the status of dirt repository but I spared it that fate by sealing it with a rubber plug. Come to think of it they can also delete the 'Caps Lock' button, I won't miss it either.
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I have Caps Lock center the window that currently has focus since Windows keeps fucking up by tending to place newly opened windows off screen. (And no, Alt-Space, Arrows keys does NOT always move the window, nor does Windows-Arrow keys work because MS is incompetent at basic window management.)
Just because YOU don't re-purpose Caps Lock to do something useful doesn't mean it has no value.
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I have Caps Lock center the window that currently has focus since Windows keeps fucking up by tending to place newly opened windows off screen. (And no, Alt-Space, Arrows keys does NOT always move the window, nor does Windows-Arrow keys work because MS is incompetent at basic window management.)
Just because YOU don't re-purpose Caps Lock to do something useful doesn't mean it has no value.
Just because YOU are blissfully ignorant of the concept of keyboard shortcuts doesn't mean we should litter the keyboard with an extra button for every keyboard shortcut you can't be bothered to learn.
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I have Caps Lock center the window that currently has focus since Windows keeps fucking up by tending to place newly opened windows off screen. (And no, Alt-Space, Arrows keys does NOT always move the window, nor does Windows-Arrow keys work because MS is incompetent at basic window management.)
Just because YOU don't re-purpose Caps Lock to do something useful doesn't mean it has no value.
I have caps lock in the bottom left corner of the keyboard, where it belongs, being a caps lock key.
The CTRL key sits middle left, where it's most useful.
The world became a worse place when some idiot put the caps lock middle left and everyone followed.
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The world became a worse place when some idiot put the caps lock middle left and everyone followed.
I'd like to point out that the caps lock, and it's predecessor, shift lock, has been middle left /forever/. Or at least since the early days of typewriters - see for example this one [istockphoto.com]
It was usually there to make the mechanical linkage between the shift key and the mechanism to hold it down easier to build.
I agree with your sentiment, but the key location is not some new trend.
I think replacing it with somthing useful - even somthing like an accent-compose key - would be a far better use of space, and get r
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On my parent's old typewriter, the caps lock was bottom left, but the position was kinda moot because you were not going to hit it by accident. You had to press it with a lot of force to get it to lift the whole carriage.
For odd key functions, I gave up with whatever Microsoft decided was fashion of the week and got myself an adafruit macro pad. I encode the snipping tool along with language mode keys and Alt-F4 for getting out of Hitman quick when it goes buggy on me. All a single keypress on the macropad
Re: Meh ... (Score:2)
Re: What's not to like? (Score:2)
Yes, actually the current Win+Shift+S took over THEIR OWN snipping tool from OneNote which I prefer! And you can't disable it, you need to change OneNote combination boa a registry key!
As for changing stuff Windows 11 doesn't have anymore the WinKey+k quick connections menu to pick/reconnect your Bluetooth headphones (for example).
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Win-K: Oooh, that's cool. I did not know about that, thanks!
Don't Give Users a Choice, Assholes! (Score:3)
Neat but (Score:2)
Meh. Snagit. Greenshot. (Score:1)
Snagit. Greenshot comes a close 2nd. Dead last is the built-in stuff.
All my PCs / laptops have snagit, and it's bound to print screen.
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Justifying their existence (Score:3)
There is no good reason to do this. It doesn't matter if you can disable this "feature" or not, that's still extra steps someone has to take.
The ONLY reason for this change is for the overpaid hacks calling themselves programmers to justify their existence. They can't produce decent software so they're flailing about trying to find something, anything, which says they're relevant.
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The ONLY reason for this change is for the overpaid hacks calling themselves programmers to justify their existence.
I highly doubt it's the Window's programmers making this decision. I strongly suspect Microsoft's technical staff could in fact build an outstanding OS and outstanding software, but priorities and changes are set by management - programmers just can't go in and change Windows features because they feel like it.
They need to change it back ... (Score:3, Funny)
... so it actually prints the screen's contents ... to an ASCII printer from 1980s. :)
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(I printed my 1986 Honours thesis on a daisy-wheel. I've no idea when that was retired, but it was well after I graduated.)
About time (Score:1)
Finally, it's about time! I for one am looking forward immensely to a sniping tool. Can you just snipe individual processes, or can you also take out the developers who coded them?
Oh someone tell MS there's only one p in sniping. "Snipping tool", that would be silly.
at last, print screen for lusers! (Score:2)
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Cropping to the active window is rarely what I want. Usually, I want just a portion of the window, or dropdown menus, or sometimes two windows side by side. Alt+Prt Screen doesn't help you with these scenarioes.
Late to the game (Score:1)
Love it! Now, how about Scroll Lock! (Score:3)
That key has been useless for too long. Glad they are finally putting it to better use!
Scroll Lock has been useless for even longer. I learned on IBM DOS 1.0, and Scroll Lock didn't even make sense back then. I wonder what it was ever good for!
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It still works in Excel and LibreOffice Calc, other than that I have no idea of anything outside of spreadsheets that use it.
30 years ago I wrote a dial-up BBS, and used Scroll Lock to control whether I could see the current user's screen or my own.
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Yeah Excel does the same thing. But I only get into that mode by accident. I can't think of an actual use case for wanting to "lock scrolling" even in a spreadsheet.
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There;s a youtube video that explains it, and it's as weird and time specific back in the 70s as you might imagine.
Someone wants a raise (Score:2)
better tools (Score:2)
Old functions (Score:2)
This is better than fixing the taskbar (Score:2)
This is way more useful than fixing the taskbar. I mean, what kind of crazy people even want the taskbar on the side of their screens? That's just crazy behavior from people who think that they're power users who need the extra vertical space. You don't need the extra vertical space. You don't. You're not a power user--no one is.
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Not the change we need (Score:2)
That's not the change I want in Snipping tool. It already has a keyboard shortcut.
What they NEED to do is allow it to bypass the notifications silencing in Focus Mode.
I want to be able to turn on Focus Mode for a meeting and still be able to use Snipping tool the same way as I usually do.
The fact that it uses the notification method to so it's pop-up means you can screen cap, but you don't get the ability to mark up that screen cap before saving/pasting it.
Thank Bob (Score:2)
I'll take the contrary position here.
If this means the end of getting screenshots pasted into .docx files (in portrait mode so that said screenshot is completely unreadable, naturally) attached to support tickets, I'll call it a good change.
The more important 28 year old issue is... (Score:1)
Can't windows users re-map key functions? (Score:2)