The Windows Snipping Tool used to be basic. Now it's actually one of the most powerful built-in tools in Windows 11. Screenshots, screen recording, OCR, and even text extraction from images. All free.
Here's how to use every feature in the modern Snipping Tool.
Open the Snipping Tool
Three ways:
- Press Windows + Shift + S – jumps right to capture mode
- Search Start menu for "Snipping Tool" – opens the full app
- Press Print Screen if you've configured it to launch the tool
The shortcut Windows + Shift + S is the fastest way for one-off captures. The full app is better for editing and annotating.
Pick your snip type
The Snipping Tool offers four capture types:
- Rectangle – drag to select an area
- Free-form – draw any shape
- Window – click a window to capture it
- Full-screen – captures everything
Pick the right one for your needs. Rectangle handles 90% of cases. Window is faster when you want a specific app cleanly.
Take and edit a screenshot
After capturing, the Snipping Tool opens with your image. The toolbar at the top has:
- Ballpoint pen – draw with mouse
- Highlighter – highlight important parts
- Eraser – remove your annotations
- Ruler – draw straight lines
- Crop – trim the image further
- Text – add typed annotations
Use the colors at the top to pick pen colors. Click Save in the top right when done. Save as PNG, JPEG, or other formats.
Record your screen
Snipping Tool can record video. Click the video camera icon at the top. Click New.
Drag to select the area to record. Click Start. A 3-second countdown appears. Recording begins.
Stop with the stop button in the floating toolbar. The recording opens for review and save. Save as MP4 to wherever you want.
Extract text from images (OCR)
The newest feature – Text Extract. Take a screenshot. Click the Text actions icon (looks like "Aa"). The Snipping Tool reads all text in the image.
Click Copy all text to grab everything. Or select specific text by clicking and dragging. Useful for copying text from images, PDFs, or non-selectable content.
OCR works on screenshots of foreign sites if you need to copy translated text from elsewhere.
Redact sensitive information
The Snipping Tool added automatic redaction. After taking a screenshot, click the Text Actions icon. Click Quick redact.
It detects email addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive patterns. Click each to redact. Useful when sharing screenshots that have your email or contact info.
You can also manually redact – draw a solid black or pixelated box over anything you want hidden. Use the eraser settings to pick redaction style.
Delayed screenshots
Need to capture a hover-state menu or tooltip? Use the delay timer. In the full Snipping Tool app, click the dropdown next to the camera icon. Pick a delay – 3 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds.
Set up the scene you want to capture (open the menu, hover, etc.), then click New. The countdown gives you time to position. After the delay, the capture grabs the current screen state.
Quick paste of screenshots
After capturing with Windows + Shift + S, the screenshot is on your clipboard. Paste it anywhere with Ctrl + V – emails, Word, Discord, Slack, social media.
No need to save the file first. The clipboard handles it directly. Saves time when you just want to send a quick visual.
Print Screen key shortcut
You can make Print Screen open the Snipping Tool. Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > toggle on Use the Print Screen key to open snipping tool.
Now PrtScn opens the capture overlay. Faster than the Windows + Shift + S combo if you're used to Print Screen behavior.
Save settings
Snipping Tool settings let you configure:
- Default save format (PNG, JPG)
- Auto-save location
- Auto-save screenshots to specific folder
- Default outline color around captures
- Whether to open the tool after capture
Click the three-dot menu > Settings. Adjust to match your workflow. Set auto-save to a Screenshots folder if you take a lot of them.
What are you screenshotting most often? Drop the use case and I'll suggest the best Snipping Tool features for it.