Took a screenshot, and now you’re staring at your screen wondering if anything has actually happened? Find out here what to do when Snipping Tool does not show a preview when you take a screenshot ⤓ on Windows, and how to find the screenshots you may have missed.
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How to Fix Windows Snipping Tool Not Showing the Preview
Snipping Tool can show a preview window when you take a screenshot using Windows notifications. By default, the banner notification is disabled.
Time needed: 3 minutes
To change Windows settings to show you visible notifications when you take a screenshot in Snipping Tool:
- Open Settings in Windows.
Windows keyboard shortcut: Press Windows I to open the Settings app.
- Go to System section.
- Open Notifications.
- Now click Snipping Tool under Notifications from apps and other senders.
- Turn on Notifications.
- Check Show notification banners to have Snipping Tool show notifications with previews for new screenshots.
If you miss the banner: Typically, you will enable Show notifications in notification center as well, of course, to get permanent notifications for all screenshots in Windows Notification Center.
- Close the Windows Settings window.
Their word: Microsoft include general information on notifications in Windows help.
No-tifications turned oh, yes-tifications?
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Open a Screenshot from Snipping Tool Without a Preview Notification
To open a screenshot from Snipping Tool without a preview banner notification (provided Notification Center is enabled for Snipping Tool):
- Open Windows Notification Center.
Here’s how: Click the time in the Windows task bar.
Windows keyboard shortcut: You can also press Windows N to open Notification Center. - Find the Snipping Tool screenshot notification.
Opening: Click the notification, of course, to open the screenshot in Snipping Tool.
How to Fix Windows Snipping Tool Not Showing the Preview: FAQ
I got no preview and no notification in Notification Center either; how can I open the screenshot?
Without any notification, the screenshot is either saved to the default location or present in the clipboard:
- From the clipboard, you can save the screenshot image to a file using Paint or Paint 3D.
- In the default save location, you can, of course, find the screenshots.
(Tested with Windows 11 Version 22H2–25H2 and Snipping Tool 11.2310–11.2501; first published December 2023, last updated March 2026)