Windows 10 update just killed this useful feature

Windows 10
(Image credit: Wachiwit/Shutterstock)

It feels like barely a day goes by without news of a Windows 10 update doing something we’d really rather it didn’t. Usually that involves some sort of detrimental bug or crash, but the latest example actually removes a useful feature.

Microsoft has confirmed the latest Windows 10 feature pack has disabled the screen snip feature, which let users copy and paste screen captures directly into a File Explorer folder. So now you have to manually save them instead.

The good news is that this isn’t permanent. On a blog post Microsoft explained that the feature was pulled after Windows Insiders discovered an issue with it. Microsoft hasn’t explained what the issue was, but says it hopes to “re-enable this capability in a future update after we address this issue.”

For the time being most users won’t be affected by this change, since this update is only rolling out to early-access members. So by the time it reaches members of the general public, Microsoft could easily have found and solved the issue. 

This isn't the only change Microsoft has been implementing to Windows 10’s clipboard. Back in August, the company announced that the clipboard was being reworked to allow for a new panel that lets users insert emojis, GIFs and other content into documents and emails.

Microsoft also improved the clipboard history feature, adding support for HTML content and images on top of the normal text. That update also removed the previous limit, which only recorded the last 25 things you copied. All that can be accessed by pressing Win + V together.

More recently Windows 10 hasn’t really had a good time, thanks to a slew of problems popping up in what feels like every update. Not only did a recent Windows 10 update send some PCs into an endless boot cycle, users also had to contend with browser links that crashed their machines, a command that could corrupt certain hard drives and more. Microsoft even killed a feature that let you minimize all but a single window.

As far as Windows 10 issues go, the temporary loss of screen snip is actually quite minor. After all, you can still save screen grabs; you just have to take a slightly more scenic route.

Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.