Quickly capture what’s on the computer screen? Use the Windows 10 Snipping Tool.
What is the Snipping Tool?
The Snipping Tool creates an image of what is on the screen. Handy to save a nice moment during video calling, for example. Or to easily create an image of something you want to share with someone else. Capture all or part of the screen, add any comments, save the snip, or email it directly from the Snipping Tool.
Snipping Tool is going to move
Note: In the future, the Snipping Tool will be part of another standard Windows program: Snip and Mark. This program can do the same and more, but works differently. Learn how Snip & Annotate works in the “Create snips with the Snip & Annotate app” article.
Open Snipping Tool
Open the Snipping Tool in Windows 10 like this:
- Click on the Start-knob .
- click on accessories > Snipping Tool.
Or use keyboard shortcuts to open the Snipping Tool. To do this, press the Windows key, Shift and the S key at the same time.
The overview window
The program opens in a window. The overview window provides access to all functions of the program. These are the buttons:
- New: Click to start a new snip.
- Mode: Click the triangle next to the Mode button and choose a snip type:
- Free-form clipping: Draw any shape around an object.
- Rectangular Snip: Drag the cursor around an object, forming a rectangle.
- Window Clipping: Choose a window, such as an open program or browser window.
- Full screen clipping: Capture everything on the screen.
- Delay: specify here after how many seconds the clipping window should appear.
- Cancel: Click here to cancel the snippet creation.
- Options: here are a number of options to adjust, such as the color of the ink used in the clippings. By default, the color is red.
Create a rectangular snip
By default, the option is enabled to create a rectangular snip.
- Open the program, photo, or website you want to create an image of.
- Click the Snipping Tool icon on the Taskbar. The program window appears on top of the open document or site. Click the triangle next to the Mode button.
- click on Rectangular Cutout.
- The image becomes a little dull or dark. Use the mouse to create a rectangular cutout. Hold down the left mouse button when selecting a snip.
- The selected area becomes bright in color. Feel free to hover over the Snipping Tool window, it is not shown in the image.
- Release the mouse button and the snip is made.
The Snipping Tool opens a special window with a variety of editing options. We will first discuss all other ways of making clippings. From the edit window, click the button New to make another snip.
Create a free form
A free form is a shape drawn with the mouse. The beginning and end of the shape must match, otherwise a cutout cannot be made.
- Open the program, photo, or website you want to create an image of.
- Click the Snipping Tool icon in the Taskbar. The program window appears on top of the open document or site.
- Click the triangle next to the Mode button.
- click on Freeform Cutout.
- The image becomes a little dull or dark. Create a crop with the mouse. Hold down the left mouse button while making the snip.
- Make sure the start and end points meet. Feel free to hover over the Snipping Tool window, it is not shown in the image.
- Release the mouse button and the snip is made.
The Snipping Tool opens a special window with a variety of editing options. We will first discuss the other options for making a snip. From the editing window, click the button New to make another snip.
Create a window snip
A window snippet is an image of the entire window of a file or program that is open.
- Open the program, document, or website that you want to snip.
- Click the Snipping Tool icon in the Taskbar. The program window appears on top of the open document or site.
- Click the triangle next to the Mode button.
- click on window cutout.
- Click the window you want to make a snip of.
The Snipping Tool opens a special window with a variety of editing options. We will first discuss the other options of making a snip. From the edit window, click the button New to make another snip.
Capturing a full screen
With a full screen snip you capture everything that is on the screen in an image.
- Make sure you have what you want to create an image of.
- Click the Snipping Tool icon in the Taskbar. The program window appears on top of the open document or site.
- Click the triangle next to the Mode button.
- click on Full screen clipping.
- The image is captured.
The Snipping Tool opens a special window with a variety of editing options. Unsatisfied? From the edit window, click the button New to make another snip.
Edit the clipping
Edit a snip if necessary. A limited number of resources are available for this. They are in the menu above the clipping.
For example, there is a highlighter to highlight important parts, or you can write something on the clipping with a pen. We will not go into that, we focus on saving and emailing the clipping.
Save the snip
- In the menu above the snippet, click the button with a floppy disk icon.
- The Explorer opens. Browse to the folder where you want to save the image.
- Type a meaningful name in the box behind ‘File name’ and click Save.
Email the clipping directly
We will send the clipping by email. It is important that there is an e-mail program on the computer.
- In the menu, click the black triangle to the right of the envelope icon.
- In the menu that opens, click on Email recipient (as attachment).
- The mail program opens with an empty mail message and the clipping as an attachment. Enter the recipient’s email address, subject and type the message. click on Send to send the message.