The Snipping Tool is a built-in Windows feature that allows users to capture screenshots of specific areas or the entire screen. With the recent Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft updated the Snipping Tool with new features and improvements. You can now record your screen with microphone audio, trim your recordings, and even send them directly to Clipchamp for advanced editing. But that’s not all. The updated Snipping Tool also brings AI-powered features like text extraction (OCR), automatic redaction of sensitive info, and visual search with Bing. These features have transformed Snipping Tool into a powerful utility not just for capturing visuals, but also for editing, sharing, and automating repetitive tasks. Let’s explore each feature of the latest Snipping Tool in detail and how to use it.
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What is Snipping Tool?
Snipping Tool is a built-in Windows application designed for screen capturing. It enables you to take screenshots of your entire screen, specific windows, or custom areas. Recently, the tool was updated with new options like Capture video, Select, extract, or redact text in screenshots, Match colors and make measurements, and more.
You can open the Snipping Tool by pressing the Windows key, typing Snipping Tool in the search bar, and selecting it from the results. Or use the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key + Shift + S, which opens the tool directly for immediate screen capture.
Capture Screenshots in Multiple Modes
The core function of the Snipping Tool is to capture screenshots, and it offers multiple ways to do this. When you launch the tool or press Windows + Shift + S, you’re presented with four capture modes: Rectangular Snip, Freeform Snip, Window Snip, and Fullscreen Snip. Each serves a different purpose.
- Free-form snip: It lets you draw any random shape on the screen and captures the screen in the same shape.
- Rectangular Snip: This allows you to take a rectangular snip, created by dragging the mouse over any area.
- Windows Snip: This option lets you take a full screenshot of any object you have opened, like any browser, dialog box, any file explorer windows, etc.
- Full-Screen Snip: Upon selecting this option, as soon as you click New, it’ll take a screenshot of the whole screen and present it to you for further editing.
Also, if you want to capture menus, pop-ups, or any UI that disappears when you click away, you can now set a delay of 3, 5, or 10 seconds before the screenshot is taken. This gives you time to open the element you need before the screen is captured.
Once you take the screenshot, the Snipping Tool opens an editing window where you can annotate the image. There’s a pen tool, highlighter, eraser, and shapes great for pointing out important sections or explaining steps. The crop tool is also useful for quickly trimming excess parts from the capture.
If you need more image editing options, MS Paint is integrated there. Just click on Edit in paint option at top right. This allows you to use Paint’s full editing toolbox, including text boxes, image layers, color fills, and more.
Tip: Screenshots are automatically saved to the Screenshots folder unless manually saved elsewhere.
Record Your Screen with Microphone Audio
The latest Snipping Tool now includes a full-featured screen recording mode that allows record your entire screen or a specific app window with your microphone audio.
- Just open Snipping Tool, select the Record button,
- Click the New button, select the region you want to capture, and choose whether to enable the microphone.
- After you click Start, the tool records everything in the selected area, along with your voice if the mic is enabled.
- When you’re done, hit Stop and the recording opens in a preview window.
Here, you can get the option to trim the video using the scissors icon.
This opens a simple editor that lets you adjust the start and end points of the clip. It’s perfect for cutting out unnecessary pauses, setting up the recording, or editing out mistakes without needing external software.
If you need more advanced editing tools like transitions, text overlays, or background music. The Snipping Tool integrates with Microsoft Clipchamp. It’s a free, built-in video editor for Windows 11. From the recording preview window, click “Edit in Clipchamp” to open the video in a full-featured editing environment.
Note: Screen recordings are automatically saved to your Screen Recordings folder.
Extract Text from Images with OCR
Another powerful feature included in the Snipping Tool is text extraction using OCR (Optical Character Recognition). This feature allows you to copy text directly from images or screenshots without retyping anything manually.
- To use it, open an image or take a screenshot, then click the Text Actions button in the toolbar.
- The tool will scan the image and highlight any text it detects.
- You can then click “Copy all text” to copy the recognized text to your clipboard.
Automatically Redact Personal or Sensitive Information
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11 also includes a redaction feature that allows you to hide sensitive information like email addresses and phone numbers from screenshots. This feature is particularly useful for sharing screenshots that contain personal or confidential information, ensuring you protect sensitive details before sharing.
- After capturing your screenshot, click Text Actions, then choose Redact.
- The tool will highlight and blur any text it identifies as sensitive.
- This allows you to share screenshots freely without manually covering up details.
Perform Visual Searches with Bing Integration
Another AI-powered addition to Snipping Tool is Visual Search using Bing. This feature lets you reverse-search any part of your screenshot to learn more about it. It’s perfect for identifying unknown objects, products, places, or symbols.
- To use this, capture a screenshot and then click the three-dot menu, then Visual Search with Bing.
- Your browser will open with a Bing image search for the captured area.
- It can show you similar images, related websites, and even shopping results — great for students, researchers, and anyone who regularly works with unfamiliar content.
Customize Your Snipping Tool Settings
The Snipping Tool also comes with a helpful Settings menu accessible via the gear icon. From here, you can change the default save location for your screenshots and videos.
Enable automatic copy to the clipboard after a capture or set whether your microphone is on by default when recording. Choose between light, dark, or system themes for the app’s interface.
Take some time to explore all these Microsoft Snipping Tool features and streamline your day-to-day tech tasks with one of Windows 11’s most underrated yet powerful tools.
