How to Restore Old Snipping Tool in Windows 11
If you have recently upgraded to Windows 11, you will notice that the old Snipping Tool is missing or not working. Windows 11 has replaced the old Snipping Tool with the combined Snip & Sketch and Snipping Tool. However, the new Snipping Tool did not prove to be a great replacement and sometimes gives a “This app can’t open” error. So, if you’re also not a fan of the new Snipping Tool, and want to restore the old Snipping Tool in Windows 11, you are at the right place.
When you upgrade Windows to a higher version, Windows moves all previous Windows files to the “Windows.old” folder. You can find all the programs removed after the upgrade in Windows.old folder. So, you can still restore the old Snipping Tool in Windows 11 from Windows.old folder. However, if the Windows.old folder is no longer available, you can also get the required files from another Windows 10 PC.
SEE ALSO:
1. Snipping Tool is not Working in Windows 11? Here is the Fix.
2. How to Clean Install Windows 11 on an Unsupported PC?
NOTE: Remember, Windows.old folder will only be available for 10 days from the date of upgrade to Windows 11. So, if you want to restore your Windows 10, you can do so within 10 days only.
Get Back the Missing Snipping Tool after Upgrading to Windows 11
So, in this tutorial, we are going to show you the steps to restore your favorite Snipping Tool after Windows 11 upgrade. You just need to make sure that Windows.old folder is still present on your PC. But that’s not an obligation as you can also copy required files from another Windows 10 PC.
Step 1: Open Windows.old Folder on Windows 11
First of all, you need to check whether the Windows.old folder exists in your C drive (Windows System drive) or not. So, open File Explorer in Windows 11, go to C drive, and open Windows.old folder if present.
NOTE: Even if you don’t have Windows.old folder in your C drive, you can restore necessary files from another Windows 10 PC.
Step 2: Copy Snipping Tool Files from Windows.old Folder
Now, copy the following files and folders from Windows.old folder to Windows 11 system folders.
- After that copy following
SnippingTool.exefile fromC:\Windows.old\Windows\System32\folder and paste it inC:\Windows\System32\folder.
- Similarly, copy
SnippingTool.exe.muifile fromC:\Windows.old\Windows\System32\en-US\folder and paste it inC:\Windows\System32\en-US\folder.
NOTE: You have to copy the SnippingTool.exe.mui file from the respective language folder. For example, we have copied it from the en-US folder for English (US). So, if your Windows 11 language is English (UK), copy SnippingTool.exe.mui from the en-GB folder and so on.
Alternate and Better Solution:
We recommend you use this alternate solution if the Windows update is replacing the old Snipping Tool with the new Snipping Tool. Another benefit of this solution is that you can use it as a separate application. So, you can enjoy both the old Windows 10 style Snipping Tool and the new Windows 11 Snipping Tool on the same PC.
- Copy
SnippingTool.exeandSnippingTool.exe.muifiles from Windows.old folder to any other folder on D: or E: drive. Just make sureSnippingTool.exe.muiis placed inen-USsub-directory at the same location. As you can see in the screenshot below, we have copied the Snipping Tool files to the “SnippingTool” folder in the D drive.
SnippingTool.exe and en-US\SnippingTool.exe.mui files to the same folderNOTE: You can also fix the Snipping Tool not working in Windows 10 using the same method. Simply copy the required files from another Windows 10 PC.
Step 3: Launch the Snipping Tool and Pin to the Taskbar
After following the previous step, you have successfully restored the missing Snipping Tool in Windows 11. It’s time to launch it. Simply double-click the “SnippingTool.exe” file from the System32 folder and Snipping Tool will launch.
NOTE: If you see the blank error message when launching the Snipping Tool, make sure to copy SnippingTool.exe.mui file to correct path as mentioned in Step 2.
You can also pin the Snipping Tool to the taskbar for easy access. Right-click on the Snipping Tool icon on the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar.
SEE ALSO:
1. How to use System Restore in Windows 11 or Windows 10?
2. How to Create a Bootable Windows 11 USB using Rufus for Unsupported and Supported PCs?
Restore the Missing Old Snipping Tool after the Windows 11 Upgrade
The above tutorial explained how you can easily restore your favorite Snipping Tool in Windows 11. You just need to make sure that you have Windows.old folder in your C drive otherwise you would need to have access to another Windows 10 PC.
Anyway, you can simply copy Snipping Tool files from Windows.old folder (or from another Windows 10 PC) to Windows 11 system folders and your missing Snipping Tool will start working again.
In case you have queries or suggestions regarding this tutorial, feel free to share them in the comment section down below. You can also subscribe for more cool stuff from us.
I can’t get it to work either. Put snippingtool.exe and snippingtool.exe.mui in the en-US folder and it just shows a blank error with a white x in a red circle.
Both of the files should not be in the same folder. The “snippingtool.exe” file should be in the parent folder and the “snippingtool.exe.mui” file should be in the “en-US” folder inside the parent folder.
The folder structure should be like this:
SnippingTool (folder) —–:—–> snippingtool.exe (file)
‘—–> en-US (folder) —–> snippingtool.exe.mui (file)
Hi – have followed the directions exactly (I think!) but when I try to paste the SnippingTool.exe.mui into the Windows System32 en-US folder, I get a message that says I need permission to perform this action. I have administrator access so not sure what the problem is? Please help!
Yes, It will ask you for Administrator permissions to paste any files into the System32 folder.
Alternatively, you can create a folder on your Desktop and name it “SnippingTool”. After that, create a new folder inside the “SnippingTool” folder and name it “en-US”. (This name depends on your system language. If your system uses English UK, create the folder with the “en-GB” name).
Now, copy the “snippingtool.exe” file from any Windows 10 PC to the “SnippingTool” folder and copy the “snippingtool.exe.mui” file to the “en-US” or “en-GB” folder inside the “SnippingTool” folder.
Finally, run the “snippingtool.exe” file from the “SnippingTool” folder and it should work.
This helped me so much, great work, thank you!
Thank you so much!!
Hey when i followed the steps this does not work. Once i have the file in the new windows folder it still will not let me open. Just errors out.
Make sure that
SnippingToo.exe.muifile is present at the same location as ofSnippingTool.exebut in en-US folder as explained in Step 2. Otherwise, you may get blank error msg.By the way can you share error screenshot with us.
Thank you so much! Like so many others out there with the Windows 11 upgrade, the Snip tool isn’t working despite all the solutions out there. This worked like a charm and was easy to accomplish.
We are glad, we could help you.
Thank you thank you thank you!
So grateful for this solution!
We are glad, we could help you.
When I upgraded to Windows 11 I didn’t even have a Snipping Tool app any longer. I had to go to the Microsoft Store and search for Snipping Tool to download it. Now I have no issues.
Or just use the newer version that replaced it
Yes, you can also use that. But new Snipping Tool is still buggy and slow compared to old Snipping Tool.