How to allow applications to register PrintScreen hotkeys?

6

2

I use PicPick on a Windows 7 PC to quickly capture and edit screenshots. I've recently installed it on Windows 8.1, and the program is unable to bind the same hotkeys it uses on Windows 7. I've also faced the same problem before with ScreenPresso. This is probably because Windows uses these hotkeys for its screen capture operations, but so did Windows 7.

My question is how to free these hotkeys from the grip of Windows 8 and allow them to be registered to other applications?

Tymric

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 372

I use Greenshot in windows 8.1 and it works correctly. Does Greenshot work okay for you? If not, there may be a problem on your computer. – LPChip – 2014-11-28T21:54:22.887

@LPChip Greenshot isn't working either

– Tymric – 2014-11-28T22:00:12.120

So there's a program installed that uses these keys. I recommend uninstalling all applications that could use this, and disable every feature in windows that could be using this as well, then try again. – LPChip – 2014-11-29T18:09:50.477

@LPChip These keys are bound to the print screen function in Windows. I have no other application that uses them. If you know of a way to disable that feature in Windows, then please post it as an answer – Tymric – 2014-11-29T18:14:10.940

If I knew I would. But that's besides the point, because Windows 8 normally doesn't do this. The print screen feature in windows is not fixed. In Windows 8.1 at my work, normally print screen works for capturing the screen, but I can succesfully install GreenShot and it uses it. So there must be something claiming these keys. Maybe you have a Trojan virus on your computer. Have you scanned for virusses and keylogger software? – LPChip – 2014-11-29T18:22:03.970

@LPChip I don't think it's a virus. I have anti-virus software installed and they are up to date. I'll run a system scan just in case. Is there a way to see which application or service has those keys registered? – Tymric – 2014-11-29T18:30:00.910

Not to my knowledge. You may try pressing the keys and see if an application responds to it. It may even be an application that is not specifically designed to make screen captures. – LPChip – 2014-11-29T19:50:08.993

@LPChip Already tried that. I get screen captures copied to the clipboard. Basically what a normal PrintScreen does – Tymric – 2014-11-29T20:00:21.253

Answers

4

I have the same problem in my Windows 8.1 Pro, too. My PicPick pop-up the same message when I try to cut some screen. I found that the issue was caught by Dropbox. After I close my Dropbox, both GreenShot and PicPick works fine with the Print Screen button.

Jim Lu

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 66

Wow. I would never have thought that DropBox was the culprit. I don't even have saving screenshots turned on. Thanks for this! – Richard Marskell - Drackir – 2016-05-05T13:42:20.833

7

Same issue in Win 10, but OneDrive is the culprit this time.

  1. Right-click OneDrive icon in system tray, select Settings, and then the Auto-Save tab.

  2. Check the box Automatically save screen shots I capture to OneDrive and click OK

Now repeat and uncheck the box:

  1. Right-click OneDrive icon in system tray, select Settings, and then the Auto-Save tab.

  2. Uncheck the box *Automatically save screen shots I capture to OneDrive' and click OK

Go to the PicPick settings and save the hot keys.

bogtho

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 71

Awesome. This was exactly my problem. Thanks! – GollyJer – 2015-12-10T21:10:26.653

+1 this was my problem too, and this fixed it. Thanks! – Sherwin Flight – 2016-06-30T03:45:29.453

how the hell did you find this out? :D thx man, solved it! – TheFlow0360 – 2016-07-03T18:11:05.813

4

Here is the solution I found, based on Jim Lu's answer to this post plus SS.'s answer here.

  1. To test that it fails, this is what I did:

    1. Start PicPick.
    2. See it complaining "hey man, can't register hot keys" blah, blah.

  2. To solve the problem, this is what I did:

    1. Right-click on Dropbox's tray icon.
    2. Click the gear, click preferences.
    3. Select the Import tab.

    4. Re-set the "not share" state even if it is not active. To do so:

      • Check the Share screenshots and click Apply
      • Uncheck it again and click Apply a second time.

  3. Now, to test it worked, this is what I did:

    1. Right-click on Dropbox's tray icon. Gear. Exit.
    2. Right-click on PicPick's tray icon. Exit.
    3. So now, none of them is working.
    4. First, start Dropbox to give it the chance to lock the keys (hopefully it won't).
    5. Start PicPick and see it does not complain.

Hope this helps!

Xavi Montero

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 291

1

The problem was solved following these steps:

  1. Rebooting the PC in Safe Mode
  2. Launching the application (PicPick) in this case and allowing it to register the hotkeys
  3. Setting the application to start when Windows starts
  4. Rebooting normally

Tymric

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 372

So this basically means there was a program other than windows that stole the hotkey assignment, but it wasn't loaded with windows during safemode boot, and as such it now works. This still doesn't explain what happened. Everything sounds like a virus/trojan horse/spyware still. But good to hear you were able to solve it using a workaround. Hopefully the problem stays away. – LPChip – 2014-11-30T16:36:07.520

@LPChip Or a stubborn process or service. I'll try another antivirus in case it's something malicious. Thanks for all the help :) – Tymric – 2014-11-30T16:45:17.233

1

I experienced the same issue on my Win 10. Here what helped me:

  1. Exit from desktop Dropbox application
  2. Save hotkeys for PicPick (default ones)
  3. Run Dropbox again

All hotkeys work for PicPick now.

Hope it helpes.

Alycha

Posted 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Reputation: 11

Asked: 2014-11-28T21:25:36.710

Viewed: 3 687 times

Active: 2015-11-20T20:47:10.007