Windows 11: What is this toolbar, and how do I make it stop?

[Ron Obvious]

Background: ever since a forced upgrade to Windows 11, every time I'm working with numbers (e.g. in Excel), every few keystrokes, the screen dims and this toolbar appears on the centre top, and screws up the number editing.

I'm sure I'm probably just fat-fingering a control key, and I'm really trying not to but it keeps happening. I find it infuriating. This never happened in Windows 10 before the upgrade. How do I prevent this from happening?

 

[plague311]

Looks like it's the snipping tool but the hotkey for it is like windows key + shift + s, which is a weird fat finger but I know nothing about excel. That could be a relatively close to a key combination that's used in that software.

 

[grmcdorman]

That's the screen-snapshot toolbar, which in my setup is bound to Win+Shift+S. I'm not sure how to rebind it other than via Windows PowerToys.

Edit: Or what he said. Did some more digging, apparently it can also be bound to the PrintScrn key if you have the option turned on in "Bluetooy & devices -> Keyboard". There is no option to rebind except in PowerToys.

 

[Ron Obvious]

Looks like it's the snipping tool but the hotkey for it is like windows key + shift + s, which is a weird fat finger but I know nothing about excel. That could be a relatively close to a key combination that's used in that software.

That's the weird thing: It's not just Excel. It seems to happen whenever I'm entering digits. It happened earlier on this forum....

 

[Ron Obvious]

It's not just something weird on my laptop either. It also happens to my wife on her laptop which is different hardware.

ETA: We both have generic external USB PS/2 keyboards, but it seems to happen with the laptop keyboard.

 

[plague311]

That's the weird thing: It's not just Excel. It seems to happen whenever I'm entering digits. It happened earlier on this forum....

I'd say you might be tapping the print screen button then, as grmcdorman was saying? I'm not sure. I don't seem to have the issue and have been on windows 11 on a few different machines now for over a year.

Sorry, sir. Wish I could help more.

 

[Ron Obvious]

That's the screen-snapshot toolbar, which in my setup is bound to Win+Shift+S. I'm not sure how to rebind it other than via Windows PowerToys.

Edit: Or what he said. Did some more digging, apparently it can also be bound to the PrintScrn key if you have the option turned on in "Bluetooy & devices -> Keyboard". There is no option to rebind except in PowerToys.

Well, I don't have powertoys, nor am I aware of ever binding this control key combination to PrintScrn of anything else. It's definitely when I'm hitting digits, and not always consistently either. If I'm entering a lot of digits it's almost certain to happen at some point. I'm self-consciously entering the digits and making sure I'm not hitting anything with my sleeve or anything else but it still usually happens.

It's weird!

 

[plague311]

Well, I don't have powertoys, nor am I aware of ever binding this control key combination to PrintScrn of anything else. It's definitely when I'm hitting digits, and not always consistently either. If I'm entering a lot of digits it's almost certain to happen at some point. I'm self-consciously entering the digits and making sure I'm not hitting anything with my sleeve or anything else but it still usually happens.

It's weird!

I'm trying to think of what it could be but it's kind of a troubleshooting nightmare. It's happening with multiple people on multiple computers in multiple software platforms.

That rules out pretty much every easy troubleshooting target like a key being stuck on a keyboard, or an accidental keybind or anything like that.

Powertoys is free if you wanted to see if that could work to change it. You can find it here. I'll keep thinking about it but that's a pretty good one.

If it helps someone will assuredly be coming around sometime soon to tell you how good Linux is...

 

[Ron Obvious]

I'd say you might be tapping the print screen button then, as grmcdorman was saying? I'm not sure. I don't seem to have the issue and have been on windows 11 on a few different machines now for over a year.

I thought I might be hitting PrtScrn on the external keyboard when I'm tapping on the laptop, but I just can't see it.

Sorry, sir. Wish I could help more.

No worries. Thanks for looking into it! It's a puzzler.

 

[rjh01]

Press the Fn + Print Screen button (Insert) key buttons and you will get that.

 

[Ron Obvious]

Press the Fn + Print Screen button (Insert) key buttons and you will get that.

Yes, I've verified that hitting PrtSc does exactly this. Fn-PrtSc brings up a "snipping tool" window, which is slightly less annoying, as I have to click on the X to dismiss the toolbar before I can continue what I was typing.

I still don't see how I'm hitting PrtSc at all on either the laptop or external keyboard, though. I've made every effort not to when I'm entering a number, and it still happens frequently.

It's a puzzler...

 

[Darat]

Do you have num lock on your external keyboard? If not try switching it on.

 

[Wudang]

Any help?

Snipping Tool Keeps Popping Up in Windows 11 Fix

Worried that your Snipping Tool in Windows 11 is popping up when it isn’t wanted? We’ve got a few solutions to get things back under control.

www.guidingtech.com

 

[Ron Obvious]

Any help?

Snipping Tool Keeps Popping Up in Windows 11 Fix

Worried that your Snipping Tool in Windows 11 is popping up when it isn’t wanted? We’ve got a few solutions to get things back under control.

www.guidingtech.com

Yes, that's exactly it. Thank you!

I can't find the accessibility setting to tie the snipping tool to PrtScr, but that's just a matter of time.

ETA: Done.

 

[Ron Obvious]

Do you have num lock on your external keyboard? If not try switching it on.

Yes, that's partly why I'm using the external keyboard. That's probably related, but it's still weird,.

 

[theprestige]

I'm just trying to figure out how you're hitting Print Screen every time you work with numbers.

 

[Wudang]

I'm just trying to figure out how you're hitting Print Screen every time you work with numbers.

A few posts mention conflicting key bindings on laptops but details are pretty much non-existent.

 

[Ron Obvious]

I'm just trying to figure out how you're hitting Print Screen every time you work with numbers.

That's what I'm wondering! I honestly don't know how I'm doing that.

Just getting old and clumsy probably.

 

[novaphile]

That's what I'm wondering! I honestly don't know how I'm doing that.

Just getting old and clumsy probably.

Where is the Print Screen key in relation to the number keys that you're using?

I've had a look online, and on many keyboards it is above the 7 and 8 keys.

That would be very easy to hit with a fingernail, or a slight over-extension, when you're keying numeric data.


... and, if there is something wrong with the membrane keyboard, it could be that you're accurately hitting the 7 or 8, and the keyboard itself is triggering the Print Screen.

 

[Ron Obvious]

Where is the Print Screen key in relation to the number keys that you're using?

I've had a look online, and on many keyboards it is above the 7 and 8 keys.

That would be very easy to hit with a fingernail, or a slight over-extension, when you're keying numeric data.

It's not particularly close to the numbers: It's 2 over to the right from the space bar, 5 rows below those number keys.

I honestly don't know how I was hitting it, frankly. Possibly on the external keyboard, but I kept my fingers high in the starting position like a beginning touch-typer when entering numbers, but it didn't make any difference. Still, I didn't know it was Print Screen I was hitting when I started this thread, or I might have been more specifically cautious.

It must not be that uncommon because the article that Wudang posted exists.