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LeonYom's avatar
LeonYom
Copper Contributor
Jun 02, 2026

Snipping tool and Local Accounts

Since running Windows 11 and moving to local profiles which are cleared out at shutdown / startup, users are starting to complain that PrintScreen no longer works or at least gives an error of "ms-screenclip://?source=print screen". This only occurs when the user has not run SnippingTool for the first time.

 

If a user runs snipping tool first then uses printscreen after that, snipping tool works without an issue until their profile is removed.

 

So what's happening? It appears that snippingtool is being installed to the local profile once it has been run from the start menu. Only then do the files for SnippingTool appear in the local appdata folders which cannot be copied out to the default profile or added so a set of folders to be copied into the local account at logon.

 

Even exporting the Default AppAssociation list copying the ms-screenclip line for the snipping tool and using a default apps list at computer boot does not fix the issue.

 

What's the fix? I don't know which is why i'm on here wondering of anyone else has had this issue.

 

We could disable the use of PrintScreen and tell people to use the snippingtool from the start menu but that seems such a copout.

 

1 Reply

  • Mikdao's avatar
    Mikdao
    Copper Contributor

    Snipping Tool is installed per-user when first run, creating registry entries and app data.