Today’s bad news: Microsoft Snip tool soon to launch with the PrintScreen Key

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

Changes like this always make me wonder about Microsoft's motto: "Empower every person to do more…" How am I "doing more" when I spend my time fighting with changes no one asked for and no one needs?

Granted, we probably needed a faster and more convenient method of opening the Snip tool than WIN+SHIFT+S, but what's wrong with WIN+PRINTSCREEN? That's an easy two keys that doesn't require remapping a key function used by people for literal decades which includes gamers – people who really don't have time to fart around with an auto-open app when they're in the middle of fragging this or exploding that.

Fortunately this isn't one of those changes they didn't give us a way to undo. In fact, the option is already there, but correctly disabled by default. Once it goes to "enabled by default… not that anyone asked", here's how you recover from their poor decision-making skills:

1. Press the Windows Key
2. Type "Print Screen". The "User print screen button to open screen snipping" control will show as an option. Click it.
3. The accessibility option allowing you to toggle this hateful feature is shown. Set it to the "OFF" position.
4. Sleep peacefully, but watchfully for the next thing Microsoft decides to screw up.

There's a toggle to turn it off thankfully

I'm sorry to my friends at Microsoft and admit I'm being a jerk on purpose partially for emphasis, but also partially because user-hostile decisions authentically annoy me. If you're on the Windows team, please consider doing more research and communicating with the community before making changes like this.