How to Fix Print Screen Button Not Working in Windows 10/11

Jane Zhou updated on Jan 19, 2022 to EaseUS RecExperts | How-to Articles

Cannot capture screenshots by pressing the Print Screen button? Here you can find how to fix print screen button not working on Windows 10 and 11. Moreover, you also can learn an excellent software called EaseUS RecExperts to help you take screenshots easily.

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Restart Your Computer Just click the Windows icon on your desktop, and select...Full steps
Fix 2. Check if the Print Screen Key is Enabled Hit the F Mode key or F Lock key on your keyboard. Next, check...Full steps
Fix 3. Use a Hotkey Combination Press Alt + PrtScn to screenshot the currently selected window...Full steps
Fix 4. Stop Background Programs Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously on the keyboard...Full steps
Fix 5. Update Keyboard Driver Press Win + X keys, and then click on the Device Manager option...Full steps
Fix 6. Try EaseUS RecExperts Launch this program, and click to Full Screen or Region to select...Full steps

For Windows users, it is just a piece of cake to take screenshots immediately with the help of the Windows key and Print Screen button. But sometimes, you may encounter the Print Screen button not working when capturing your screen, so how to deal with this issue?

Now let's stick to this topic and find out the solutions to fix the Print Screen button not working on your Windows 10 or 11 PC quickly. Or you can directly try professional screencast software like EaseUS RecExperts.

EaseUS RecExperts

  • One-click to take full or partial screenshots
  • Record screen, webcam, and audio flexibly
  • Start, stop and split your recording automatically
  • Provide various output formats

Fix 1. Restart Your Computer

Usually, a restart might be all Windows needed to get back on track. So, if some buttons are not working on your keyboard, you can restart your computer and check whether the print screen button not working is resolved or not.

Just click the Windows icon on your desktop, and select the "Restart" button.

Fix 2. Check if the Print Screen Key is Enabled

Sometimes, you may disable the Print Screen function accidentally and you cannot take screenshots successfully with this feature. So you'd better check if the Print Screen key is enabled.

Just hit the F Mode key or F Lock key on your keyboard. Next, check if Print Screen works. (If there are no such buttons on your keyboard, you can skip this solution and go for another one)

Fix 3. Use a Hotkey Combination

Besides the Print Screen button, you also can press other keys for taking snapshots on your Windows 10 or 11 computer. Here are some examples:

  • Press Alt + PrtScn to screenshot the currently selected window
  • Hit Windows logo + PrtScn to take capture your desktop, and the screenshot will be saved in the "Screenshots" folder on your computer
  • In addition, if you are using a laptop, you can click Fn + Windows logo + PrtScn keys on your keyboard

Fix 4. Stop Background Programs

Some background programs may cause the Print Screen button not working, including Snippet, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. So to be able to stop this from happening, you need to close these background programs by checking the following steps:

Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc simultaneously on the keyboard to open the Task Manager window.

Step 2. Find the program that you want to close, and then right-click on it to choose the "End Task" option.

Once done, press Print Screen to check if it can work or not.

Fix 5. Update Keyboard Driver

Similar to your system, your keyboard driver may become outdated, corrupted, or incorrect as well. And that will cause the Print Screen not working on your Windows PC. So, in this case, you should update the keyboard driver like below:

Step 1. Press Win + X keys, and then click on the Device Manager option.

Step 2. Click the arrow to expand the keyboards. Next, right-click on Standard PS/2 Keyboard and select the "Update Driver" button.

Step 3. Select "Search automatically for updated drive software" and it will automatically install the latest driver.

After that, check if your Print Screen button is working. 

Fix 6. Try EaseUS RecExperts

If all the solutions mentioned above cannot solve this problem, you can try an easy yet powerful screen capture software: EaseUS RecExperts.

This is an easy-to-use software, which functions in recording desktop and taking snapshots. With its help, you can freely choose to take a full or partial screenshot with one click, or even screenshot dual monitors. Apart from that, you can use it to record almost anything on your screen, including gameplay, conference meetings, video chats, live streamings, and even some popular shows from streaming services. Most importantly, this program allows you to take screenshots while recording!

Highlights:

  • Compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11
  • Support adding webcam overlay on your recording
  • The schedule recording feature is available 
  • Export recordings in various formats

Step 1. Download and launch this program on your computer. You will see all features it offers, including Webcam recording, Audio recording, Region capturing, and other options like Settings and Full Screen recording.

Step 2. Click "Full Screen" or "Region" according to your need. The screen will go dim, and drag your cursor covering what you want to capture.

Step 3. Now press F11 or click the "Screenshot" icon to take screenshots.

Step 4. The screenshots will be saved in the "Recordings" > "Pictures", where you can rename the screenshot with ease.

Final Words

On this page, we provide 6 solutions to help you fix the Print Screen button not working on your Windows PC. You can pick any workable way to solve your problem. We hope this post can really help you!