Turning off the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 isn’t as tricky as it sounds, but kind of weird because Windows hides some of these options in places you wouldn’t expect. First, you want to head into Settings, then go to Apps. From there, find a section called Installed Apps, and type “Snipping Tool” into the search box. When it pops up, click on it. Now, here’s the weird part: you need to find the toggle for Let this app run in the background. It’s usually under Advanced options.
On some machines, this toggle might be a bit finicky — because of course Windows has to make it harder than necessary. If it’s not obvious or isn’t working, try scrolling through the options or using the search inside the app detail page. Once you see it, flip it to off. This disables the app from running silently in the background and preventing accidental pops or resource drain. Good thing about this method: it’s targeted, keeps the Snipping Tool out of your hair without uninstalling or causing errors.
Why this helps? Because many don’t realize the Snipping Tool can run in the background, even when not actively using it. Disabling background activity means it won’t pop up out of nowhere or eat CPU cycles when you’re not looking. So if you’re annoyed by random snips or just want to keep things tight, this is a decent option. It’s most useful when the tool tends to open on its own after updates or system restarts.
If that didn’t help, here’s what might: you could try a more forceful approach, like using PowerShell commands to disable certain system apps. For example, in PowerShell (run as administrator), you can execute commands like Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftWindows.Client.C_uakana* | Remove-AppxPackage. But beware, that could break stuff, so only do it if you’re comfortable troubleshooting. Usually, just disabling the background toggle in Settings does the trick, but sometimes Windows misbehaves.
Another one to try — if the Snipping Tool still keeps bugging out — is to reset or reinstall it via the optional features. You can go to Settings > Apps > Optional Features, search for “Snipping Tool,” and see if you can turn it off or reset it. That’s a slightly more aggressive way to control it, but a lot of folks don’t realize this menu exists either, so it’s worth checking.
Summary
- Head to Settings
- Go into Apps
- Look for Installed Apps
- Search for Snipping Tool
- Toggle off Let this app run in the background
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Windows can be a pain, but once you find the right settings, controlling background apps actually gets easier. Good luck tweaking your setup — or at least making it less annoying!