Using the Snipping Tool in Windows 10

In Windows 10 there is an easy to use tool for taking screenshots of the entire screen or any section of the screen you want to capture, called the Snipping Tool.

In this tutorial, we will show you how to take screenshots with it, how to save, edit or email a screenshot, how to use the available markup tools and how to change the settings of the Snipping Tool.

Where to Find the Snipping Tool in Windows 10

1. Click on Start Symbol and type snipping in to the Type here to search box

Note: if you cannot see the box, just start typing and you will see Snipping Tool appear as below

Click on either the Snipping Tool App or Open

2. Snipping Tool’s Main Interface will then open

Snipping Tool Menu Bar

NEW

Click on New to capture a screenshot

The screen will fade and you will see a + symbol appear that you can then click the left mouse button, then keeping it pressed, drag it to capture what you want on the screen

You can click Cancel if you make a mistake or change your mind

Once you have selected the area you want to capture, the menu bar change to the following options where you can Save, Copy or use Highlight mark something on the screenshot

MODE

There are four types of captures available when you select Mode

• Free-form Snip enables you to draw an irregular line around an object or area
• Rectangular Snip allows you to take a screenshot shaped as a rectangle, by dragging the cursor around an object
• Window Snip allows you to select a window (e.g. your Internet browser) or dialogue box (e.g. error message received from an application) and capture it
• Full-screen Snip enables you to capture the entire screen, like the old-fashioned Print Screen key

NOTE: The Full-screen Snip option is not available after you have captured your screen area

DELAY

If Delay is selected, say for example 5 seconds, when you click on New , then in 5 seconds, when you see the screen turn grey, use the mouse to select the area you want.

SAVE

Once you have made your selection and any changes, then to save your snip as PNG, GIF, JPG or HTML, then click on Save

You will be prompted for the Location and File Name you want to save the snip as, then click on Save

COPY

If you want to copy your snip selection to the clipboard to use in another program, then click on Copy

Then in your other program or app, then you can paste your snip selection from the clipboard

SEND

If you want to send your snip selection via email to someone, then click on Send

If you instead click on the dialog down next to Send, then you have two options:

• Email Recipient – Will add the Snipping Tool selection within the email
• Email Recipient (as attachment) – Will add the Snipping Tool selection as an attachment to the email

NOTE: Default option for Send is the last option you selected

PEN

If you want to draw with a pen on the Snipping Tool selection, then click on Pen

You can also click on the dialog down symbol to choose more colours

HIGHLIGHTER

If you want to highlight something on the Snipping Tool selection, then click on Highlighter

ERASER

If you want to erase any modifications to the snip you have made with either the Pen or Highlighter, then you can use the Eraser

EDIT WITH PAINT 3D

You can also copy the Snipping Tool selection to edit it in Paint 3D by clicking on Edit in Paint 3D

How to Print Snipping Selection

If you want to print the Snipping Tool selection, click on File > Print or press Ctrl + P

Snipping Tool Options

There are further options you can change in Snipping Tool. To get to these, click on Tools > Options

You can then change the following options:

• Hide Instruction Text – hide the instruction text in the main Snipping Tool window.
• Always copy snips to the Clipboard – copy all captures to the Windows clipboard so you can paste them into other applications (e.g. Word processors or image editors).
• Include URL below snips (HTML only) – save your snips as a Single File HTML or MHT documents. If a snip is taken from an Internet Explorer window, it also shows the URL of the webpage included in the screenshot.
• Prompt to save snips before exiting – gives you a heads up if you have any captures that you have not saved, prior to closing the program.
• Show screen overlay when Snipping Tool is active – if disabled, when you are taking a screenshot, the Snipping Tool transparent overlay is no longer shown on the screen.

The second section, named Selection, allows you to make a few settings regarding the color palette :

• Ink Color – changes the color of the selection border when you create a snip
• Show selection ink after snips are captured – when enabled, the selection border is shown around the snip, using the color selected in the ‘Ink Color’ list

NOTE: It is advised only to make changes to Options if you are confident you know what you are doing