How To Use The Snipping Tool In Windows 11/10

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On Microsoft’s Windows devices, the Snipping tool makes taking screenshots quick and straightforward. When taking screenshots, the application offers versatility by allowing users to add details and annotations to the screenshot itself. For individuals that require detailed information on their saved photos, the tool has made screenshotting more easier. This post will guide you on how you can use the Snipping Tool to its fullest extent in Windows.

How to Use Snipping Tool

How To Use The Snipping Tool In Windows 11/10

When capturing screenshots and taking notes, the snipping tool has become a popular and practical technique for Windows users to get the job done.

How to Open the Snipping Tool in Windows

Open Snipping Tool

Well, before you get started and use the Snipping Tool to capture some fantastic screenshots, you need to figure out how to launch it. Here’s the simplest way to tackle the Snipping tool in Windows. In the Start Search Box, key in Snipping Tool and select the best match. That’s it, and it’s that simple.

How to Capture Screenshots using the Snipping Tool

Now that you’ve managed to bring open the Snipping Tool, you’ll notice a simple, elegant interface. There are multiple tabs at the top which house all the functions. Here’s how you can take a new screenshot.

On a Windows computer, click on the downwards pointing arrow next to the Mode tab to display a dropdown. Snipping Tool offers four different capture options, these include:

Snipping Tool Modes

  1. Free-form Snip: With this, you can use your mouse cursor and draw a freehand shape.
  2. Rectangular Snip: The mode set by default, Rectangular Snip draws a box around an element to be captured.
  3. Window Snip: As the name suggests, it automatically captures an entire app window.
  4. Full-screen Snip: The last option but not the least, this one prints your screen and takes a screenshot of your entire display.

Choose the option that best fits your situation. If you end up choosing one among the first two, you’ll need to move your cursor around and select the part of the screen to be captured.

How to take Delayed Screenshots

Snipping Tool delay

The Snipping Tool in Windows 11/10 may also capture screenshots on a timer; this is handy for capturing pictures of context menus that vanish after a second click.

Here’s what you need to do to take a delayed screenshot. This one involves selecting the Delay option from the top and choosing between a countdown of one to five seconds at most. Next, follow the normal process of taking a screenshot, that is, click on New from the menu bar, and wait for the timer to countdown.

How to Edit Screenshots with the Snipping Tool

Edit with Snipping Tool

Additional choices show up on the toolbar once you have successfully captured a snip. Copy, Email Recipient, Pen color, Highlighter, Eraser, and Edit with Paint 3D are available choices.

The Snipping Tool is not Photoshop; hence there are very few limited editing options. Users get a Pen tool to draw and annotate on the image; there’s a highlighter to point out certain parts of an image, an Eraser to remove any previously added annotations, and more. If you’d like greater control over the pictures, we suggest bringing open the idea in Paint 3D.

Saving Screenshots with the Snipping Tool

When you’re satisfied with your snip, you can go ahead and save it. Press the Save button available in the menu bar, or head over to File tab > Save as; This will bring up the Save as dialog, where you can choose the destination, name the file and choose the file format. Once you’ve done that, click on the Save button to complete the task.

Additional Options

Snipping Tool Options

Before we finish this tutorial, there are some Additional Options in the Snipping Tool you must know about. Select the Options button from the ribbon to bring up a new dialog box.

Here you’ll find some new options, including the opportunity to Hide Instruction text, which can be used to hide hints; there’s Always copy snips to the Clipboard, which might come in handy if you’d want to insert the snip into a document quickly and more. We recommend you go through the list of options and turn those ON which might benefit you.

That said, did you find what you were looking for? Do let us know by dropping a comment down below.

Yash Jain
A long-standing Windows fan, Photographer, and Tech Enthusiast who loves to write about Smartphones and Technology.

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