Beginners Guide to Using Snipping Tool in Windows 11

Microsoft revamped Windows 11 with brand new interface with lot of additional features. As part of that, most system apps like Notepad, Terminal and screen capturing tool got new look. The old Snip & Sketch tool is now rebranded as Snipping Tool for taking screenshots. The cool part is that you can also record videos with the latest version of Snipping Tool. Here is a complete guide on how to use Snipping Tool for capturing screenshot, videos and customize the setup. Make sure that you are using Windows 11 and update the OS to the latest available build to get all Snipping Tools features.  

Opening Snipping Tool

There are two default ways to open the tool – one is to open the app and switch the modes and other is to trigger the capture. You can use the Windows Search from Taskbar to search and open the Snipping Tool app. Alternatively, press “Windows + Shift + S” shortcut keys to directly trigger the screen capture action.

1. Customizing Screen Capture Options

Before using the tool, you need to customize the setup so that the screenshots are available as per your need. At this point, you can only customize app and screen capture options and not video recording. Open the app, click on the three dots “See more” icon and select “Settings” option.

The settings section offers three sections – Shortcuts, Snipping and Appearance with the following options.

1.1. Using Print Screen key as Shortcut

If you are struggling to press “Windows + Shift + S” keys together, then it is possible to use print screen key on your keyboard for triggering screen capture with Snipping Tool. Click “Change in Windows Settings” link showing against “Print screen key shortcut” option. This will take you to “Accessibility > Keyboard” section of Settings app where you can enable “Use Print screen key to open screen snipping” option.  

1.2. Snipping Settings

• Automatically copy changes – enable this option to automatically save your screen capture to clipboard. You can then press “Control + V” keys to paste the copied image from clipboard. It is also possible to manage multiple items in your clipboard by pressing “Windows + V” keys.
• Automatically save screenshots – enabling this will allow the app to save the screenshots once you capture in “C:\Users\<Username>\Pictures\Screenshots” folder. You can any time go to this folder in File Explorer and find all previously captured screenshots and videos.
• Ask to save edited screenshots – enabling this will force Snipping Tool to ask you to save when you close the captures without saving.
• Multiple windows – by default, the app will open in a single instance which means you can only work on one capture at a time. You can enable this option to keep multiple captures open and edit them.
• Add border to each screenshot – enable this option and click the color picker. Select the color and set the thickness for the border. The tool will automatically add the border to all captured images.

1.3. Changing Appearance

Click the “App theme” option and choose light or dark theme or use Windows system mode for the app appearance.  

2. Taking Screenshot with Snipping Tool

Once you finish the settings, press “Windows + Shift + S” keys (or print screen if enabled). The tool will trigger screen capture with the options to select one of the following modes.

• Rectangular mode – manually select rectangular area for capture on the screen.
• Freeform mode – manually select free form using mouse.
• Window mode – capture one of the open app windows and the app will automatically highlight the app windows in this case.
• Fullscreen mode – capture the entire screen as you see.

Alternatively, you can open the app first and then select the mode for capturing your screenshot.

Snipping Tool will show the captured screen in a floating window and click on the image to edit with the built-in editor. If you do not click the capture, it will be automatically saved to “Screenshots” folder. It will also be there in your clipboard if you have enabled that option in the app settings.

2.1. Editing Screenshots with Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool has a powerful editor which you can use for annotation and cropping. Click the first “Ballpoint pen” option and select the color for your pen. Now, you can simply draw or write anything on the capture image.

You can also use the ruler or protractor and draw lines on the image.

If the image is too big, click crop icon to resize the image and remove unwanted portions.

When the image is ready, you can save or copy to clipboard or share in Outlook or with nearby devices. If you feel the editing options are not sufficient, click the “See more” three dots icon and select “Open with” option. Choose any other image editor app you have on the system to edit the screenshot with that app.

Note: You can press “Control + O” keys to open any image in the Snipping Tool editor.

2.2. Taking Time Delayed Screenshots

You can’t use the time delay when using keyboard shortcut option. However, there are multiple other options to take the delayed screenshot like capturing the dropdown menu.

• Search Snipping Tool from Windows Search and you will see options to trigger the capture with predefined timer.
• Right-click on the Snipping Tool app in Taskbar to find the timer options.
• After opening the app, click the “Delay snip” click icon and select the timer.

You have 3, 5 or 10 seconds to delay the capture for preparation of the screen.

3. Recording Videos with Snipping Tools

Earlier, you need to use third-party apps for screen recording in Windows. However, the latest Snipping Tool version comes with in-built video recording option. Open the app and click on the “Record” button to toggle the mode. Click “+ New” button to start the recording.

Select the portion on your screen and click “Start” button.

The countdown timer will show 3 seconds to give you some time and the recording will start. When you are done, click “Stop” button to open the video in the Snipping Tool. You can also pause the recording any time in-between and continue again. At this moment, the tool does not offer any audio recording and you can expect this will be added soon.

4. Pinning and Quick Access

If you are frequently using the tool, it makes sense to add pin it in Start or Taskbar. Search Snipping Tool in Windows Search and right-click on the result. Select, “Pin to Start” or “Pin to taskbar” option as you need.

You can also right-click the app icon on Taskbar when using the app and pin to the taskbar. As you can see, the right-click context menu shows quick options for timer and opening previously captured images.

Wrapping Up

Though the tool lags professional video recording features, you can definitely rely on it for capturing quick screenshots and edit the images. If the tool is not working or saving the images properly, you can uninstall and reinstall it from Microsoft Store or reset the app to fix the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions About Snipping Tool