Imagine that you’re putting together a document or email and you would like to include:
- a snapshot of a spreadsheet
- a snippet of text and images from a website
- a short video demonstrating how to use a particular app
This is quite complex stuff … unless you know about the Snipping Tool (and if you know about it but haven’t used it for a while, there are some great new features which you may not be aware of.)
The Snipping Tool is bundled with Windows 11 but it isn’t given much prominence, and many people don’t even know it exists. You can access it by clicking on the Start button and using the search feature – here’s an image (captured using Snipping Tool!).
I would recommend right-clicking on it and pinning it to your Taskbar or to Start so that you can access it easily in future. You can also access it using the shortcut: Windows Key+Shift+S.
Key Features of the Windows 11 Snipping Tool
1. Multiple Capture Modes
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11 supports a variety of screen capture modes, allowing you to take screenshots in different formats:
- Rectangular Snip: Draw a rectangle around the area you want to capture.
- Freeform Snip: Draw a custom shape with your cursor for more flexible captures.
- Window Snip: Capture a specific application window.
- Fullscreen Snip: Capture the entire screen, useful for multi-monitor setups.
2. Integrated Editing Tools
Once a screenshot is taken, you are presented with a simple yet effective editing interface. Here, you can annotate, highlight, crop, or erase portions of the image. Here’s a screenshot of our website with our strapline highlighted and a red arrow pointing to our blog.
And if you want to do more sophisticated editing, you can open Paint directly from within Snipping Tool.
3. Screen Recording (New in Windows 11)
One of the most anticipated additions to the Snipping Tool is built-in screen recording. This new feature allows users to record their screen activity without needing third-party software. Users can:
- Record the entire screen or a selected region.
- Save recordings in a standard video format (e.g., MP4).
- Share or upload recordings directly from the tool.
Here’s a short video showing someone how to use AutoSum in Excel, captured using Snipping Tool.