Snipping Tool Text Actions not showing? On Windows 11, first capture a still screenshot and open it in the full Snipping Tool editor. Look for Text actions there, rather than only on the capture overlay. Still no button? Check Microsoft Store for an app update. If that changes nothing, try Repair in Windows settings.
What happens when you try to copy the text? Perhaps the button is missing altogether. Perhaps it is there, but nothing gets selected. Or the paste gives you another picture. Start with the matching symptom below; each points to a different check.
Checked September 30, 2026 against Microsoft documentation. Based on Microsoft’s published instructions; individual Windows builds have not been tested for this guide. Your app version may show different controls.
Table of Contents
Snipping Tool Text Actions not showing: where to start
| Symptom | Next check |
|---|---|
| No Text actions button on the capture overlay | Finish a still-image snip and inspect the full editor. |
| No Text actions in the screenshot editor | Update the app, then try Repair if needed. |
| Button appears, but words are not recognized | Try a clearer sample and check language support. |
| Pasting produces an image instead of text | Use the recognized-text copy control, not Copy snip. |
| Text copies, but a table loses its columns | Check the separate Copy as table option if available. |
1. Find Snipping Tool Text Actions in the full editor
Launch Snipping Tool from Start and capture a still image containing readable words. To use Snipping Tool Text Actions, open that capture in the app and select Text actions. Choose recognized words or Copy all text, then paste into Notepad. This is the workflow in Microsoft’s current Snipping Tool instructions.
If you used Windows + Shift + S, remember that the small capture bar and the screenshot editor are different views. Finish the capture and open the resulting image before looking for the button. OCR, short for optical character recognition, turns the letters in that image into text you can edit.
In Snipping Tool Text Actions, choose the text-copy control. The ordinary Copy command copies the screenshot itself. For words you can edit, activate text recognition and use its text-copy controls.
2. Update Snipping Tool through Microsoft Store
Open Microsoft Store and select Check for updates. Install an offered Snipping Tool update, close the app, and open it again. Follow Microsoft’s Store update instructions if your Store looks different from an older tutorial.
Retest with one new screenshot after the update. Record the installed Snipping Tool version if the feature remains unavailable. On a company or school computer where Store updates are restricted, ask IT to check the approved app version instead of installing packages from another website.
Avoid treating an old minimum-version number as a guaranteed fix. A release announcement tells you when a feature began rolling out; it does not diagnose why a current installation behaves differently.
3. Compare Snipping Tool Text Actions with Text Extractor
Microsoft also announced a Text Extractor control for the capture bar, designed to copy text without first saving a screenshot. The April 2025 announcement described an Insider rollout. If your installed version exposes that control, it offers another extraction path; do not assume every older guide shows the same interface.
Use the distinction when troubleshooting: Text actions works with a captured image, while the announced Text Extractor workflow selects a screen region for copying. If your goal is simply to recover words, either available workflow may be sufficient.
4. Repair the app before considering Reset
Save any capture you need before closing Snipping Tool. In Windows 11, open Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find Snipping Tool, open its menu, and choose Advanced options if available. Select Repair, then reopen the app and test again.
Microsoft’s app repair guidance recommends Reset when repair is unavailable or does not help. Read the reset confirmation first: it can clear the app’s local data and preferences. Keep a separate saved copy of anything important before proceeding.
If the menu is absent or controlled by your organization, stop at that point and contact IT. Tell IT which control is missing and what you have already tried.
5. Test Snipping Tool Text Actions with a clear sample
Before another reset, give the app something easy to read. A blurry photograph of a receipt is a poor starting point: even working text recognition can struggle with the original image. Try this comparison:
- Type a short sentence such as Project reference 12345 in a large, plain font on a white background.
- Capture only that sentence, then try Text actions and paste into Notepad.
- Repeat using the original image, enlarging the source before capturing if its text is tiny.
- Compare the results, including spaces, numbers, and line breaks.
If Snipping Tool Text Actions copies the simple sample correctly but misses the original, focus on that image or language before resetting the app again. If neither sample works, record the result for support. A sharp, straight sample makes the comparison easier to interpret than a crowded full-screen capture.
Microsoft’s Snipping Tool overview notes that language support and feature availability can vary. Do not assume changing the Windows display language will repair every OCR failure. Always check names, dates, decimal points, and reference numbers against the original.
What if Copy as table is missing?
Copying words and preserving table columns are separate tasks. Microsoft introduced Copy as table in a 2024 Insider update: capture a table, open Text actions, then select Copy as table. That historical rollout is not a guarantee that every installed version shows the option.
If the option is available, capture a single clear table and paste into a blank worksheet first. Compare row counts, column alignment, and numeric values with the source before using the result. Pay particular attention to prices and totals. A misplaced decimal point is easy to overlook in a neatly pasted table.
A Microsoft-documented fallback: PowerToys Text Extractor
If you need the text immediately, Microsoft PowerToys Text Extractor is an alternative. With PowerToys installed and the utility enabled, its default shortcut is Windows + Shift + T. Drag over the text region, then paste the recognized content from the clipboard.
Microsoft documents a requirement for an installed OCR language pack matching a supported language. If PowerToys reports that no OCR languages are available, follow its language-pack instructions or ask your administrator. This requirement for PowerToys is not proof of the cause of a missing Snipping Tool button.
Use Microsoft’s official installation guidance linked from that page. On a managed PC, use your organization’s approved software process. Check the result against the picture, especially characters such as the letter O and the number 0.
Need to change the picture itself after extracting its text? Our guide to Gemini image-editing problems covers that separate workflow.
Keep a short troubleshooting note. Write down the app version before changing anything, then record each check and its result. For example: “A new screenshot opens in the editor; Text actions is absent; Store offered no update; Repair made no difference.” That gives support something specific to investigate. “OCR is broken” leaves several possibilities open.
Go back to the picture that caused the problem. Can you now paste its words into Notepad and change a letter? Good: you have editable text. Next, put the original beside it and look for missing words or incorrect numbers. If only the easy sample works, keep both examples for comparison. Stop changing settings once the original task works; another reset adds little to that result.
Frequently asked questions
Is Snipping Tool Text Actions only for Windows Insiders?
Microsoft’s current Windows 11 instructions include Snipping Tool Text Actions. An old answer about its initial Insider rollout is not a reliable statement of today’s general availability. Check current documentation and your app version.
Do I need a Copilot+ PC for ordinary text extraction?
Microsoft lists Snipping Tool Text Actions separately from its Copilot+ PC-specific features, such as Perfect screenshot. Do not assume you need a new PC just because an OCR control is missing.
Does Snipping Tool upload a screenshot to recognize text?
Microsoft says Snipping Tool’s text recognition runs locally on the device. That statement applies to this OCR workflow; separately sharing or uploading the screenshot is another action.
What should I send to support if it still fails?
Include the Windows build, Snipping Tool version, whether you opened the full screenshot editor, and whether the simple recognition test worked. Attach a non-sensitive example and describe exactly which button or result is missing. You can also browse our other practical how-to guides or send Tech Volix a correction if a menu has changed.
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