Windows Snip & Sketch Colored Bar Artifact: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
The Windows Snipping Tool Colored Border Artifact
If you’ve used Windows+Shift+S and found a thin greenish or yellowish bar stuck to one edge of your screenshot, you’ve hit a known bug in Windows’ built-in Snipping Tool. It shows up on one edge of the screen, appears at random, and gets old fast when you need clean, professional results.
Why This Happens
The artifact is a timing problem. The Snipping Tool (Snip & Sketch) captures the screen before its own interface has fully cleared from the display pipeline—and that leftover render shows up as a colored sliver on one edge. It’s not your display settings. It’s not your image editor. Microsoft has acknowledged it on various support forums as a glitch in the Snipping Tool application itself.
Quick Workarounds
Try taking the screenshot again immediately. Often the second attempt completes cleanly with no artifact. If the bar keeps showing up, these approaches work:
- Use Alt+Print Screen instead: This Windows keyboard shortcut captures only the active window and bypasses the Snipping Tool interface entirely, avoiding the artifact entirely.
- Close and reopen the Snipping Tool: Force-close Snip & Sketch and start a fresh instance. A new application instance often resolves the glitch.
- Check for Windows updates: Keep your OS current—Microsoft patches system apps regularly, and some Snipping Tool issues have been fixed through standard updates.
- Try third-party screenshot tools: Greenshot, ShareX, and Snagit all produce artifact-free captures and include annotation and editing features the built-in tool lacks.
When to Report It
If it keeps happening, report it through the Feedback Hub app—press Windows+I, then search for Feedback Hub. Attach a screenshot of the artifact and include details about your system configuration. Microsoft engineers read these reports, and they directly influence which bugs get prioritized for fixes.
Prevention Tips
There’s no guaranteed way to stop this artifact from appearing. Keeping Windows and all system apps updated reduces how often it occurs. Avoiding heavy background processes while taking screenshots can help too—the artifact appears more likely when system resources are under strain.