Snipping Tool is the built-in Windows app for capturing screenshots and short screen recordings. This guide covers every capture mode, the keyboard shortcuts, and how to annotate, save, and share your snips.
What Snipping Tool Can Capture
Snipping Tool supports five capture types, each suited to a different situation.
- Rectangle: Drag the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.
- Window: Select a single window, such as a dialog box, to capture.
- Full screen: Capture the entire display in one click.
- Freeform: Draw an irregular shape around an object.
- Video snip: Record a short video clip of a selected area on your screen.
If you use a Copilot+ PC, two AI-powered features are also available. Perfect Screenshot automatically tightens the capture area around on-screen content so you spend less time cropping afterward. Color Picker lets you grab the exact color value from any pixel on your screen.
How to Open Snipping Tool
Select the Start button, type snipping tool, then select Snipping Tool from the results. Once it opens, three shortcuts handle most day-to-day use.
- Press
Win + Shift + Sto open the capture overlay for a screenshot. - Press
Win + Shift + Rto open the overlay for a video recording (Windows 11 only). - Press
PrtScto capture the entire screen instantly and copy it to your clipboard.
To keep the app within reach, search snipping tool in the taskbar search box, then select Pin to taskbar.
How to Capture a Standard Snip
- Open Snipping Tool and select Snipping Mode.
- Choose Rectangle, Window, Full screen, or Freeform.
- Select New. The screen dims slightly, signaling that you’re ready to capture.
- Draw around, click, or select the area you want, depending on the mode chosen.
The capture is copied to the Snipping Tool window automatically, where you can edit, save, or share it.
How to Capture a Perfect Screenshot
This feature is limited to Copilot+ PCs.
- In Snipping Tool, select Perfect Screenshot.
- Drag a rough rectangular selection over the content you want.
- The tool analyzes the visible screen and snaps the selection to the most prominent content automatically.
- Use the crop handles to fine-tune the result if needed.
How to Use Color Picker
- In Snipping Tool, select Color picker.
- Click any point on your screen to sample that color.
- The exact color value copies to your clipboard automatically.
How to Annotate a Snip
Once you capture an image snip, the editing toolbar gives you several options.
- Select Pen or Highlighter to write or draw on the image.
- Select Shapes to add shapes or emojis.
- Select Eraser to remove lines or shapes you added.
- Select Image crop to trim the capture.
- Select Text actions to extract and copy text directly from the image.
- Select Undo or Redo to step backward or forward through your edits.
How to Capture and Edit a Video Snip
- Open Snipping Tool and select the Record button, or press
Win + Shift + R. - Select New, then drag to select the area you want to record.
- Select Start to begin recording, and Stop when you’re done.
- Save the recording as-is, or select Edit in Clipchamp to open it in the Clipchamp video editor.
To add captions inside Clipchamp, go to the Captions tab, select Transcribe media, choose your language and filter options, then select Transcribe media again to generate the captions. To manage audio, open the Audio tab, adjust the volume between 0 and 200%, and select Detach audio if you want to save the audio as a separate file. Detached audio downloads to your Downloads folder, which you can open by pressing Win + R and typing downloads.
How to Save and Share a Snip
Every snip saves automatically to your Screenshots folder. To change this behavior or set a different default folder, select See more, then Settings.
To save an extra copy manually, select Save as, choose a location and filename, then select Save. To share a snip directly, select See more, then Share.
How to Copy or Redact Text From a Snip
Snipping Tool includes built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for pulling text out of an image.
- Capture a snip, then select Text actions.
- Select and copy specific text manually, or select Copy all text to grab everything at once.
- Select Quick redact to automatically blank out any email addresses or phone numbers found in the image.
All text recognition runs locally on your device, so nothing is sent to the cloud for this step.
How to Enlarge, Rotate, or Crop a Snip
With a snip open in Snipping Tool, select Edit, then Edit with Paint. Paint gives you access to resizing, rotation, color tools, text insertion, and other basic image editing features.
How to Print a Snip
Open the folder where you saved the snip, right-click the file, and select Print. Choose your printer settings, then confirm the print job.
How to Delay a Screenshot
Delayed capture is useful when you need to open a menu or tooltip before the screenshot fires.
- In Snipping Tool, select Delay, then choose a delay of 1 to 5 seconds.
- Select the Snipping Mode you want, then select New to start the countdown.
- Within the delay window, open the menu or arrange the content you want to capture.
- When the screen turns gray, draw around the area you want to capture.
Snipping Tool Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Win + Shift + S | Open the capture overlay |
Win + Shift + R | Start screen recording (Windows 11) |
Alt + M | Choose a snipping mode |
Alt + N | Create a new snip in the same mode |
Shift + Arrow keys | Move the cursor between snip types |
Alt + D | Delay capture by 1 to 5 seconds |
Ctrl + C | Copy the snip to clipboard |
Ctrl + S | Save the snip |
Esc | Cancel the current snip |
Where Snipping Tool Saves Your Files
By default, screenshots copy to the clipboard first, and a notification lets you jump into the editor. Files save to disk once you select Save as or press Ctrl + S. Screenshots typically land in Pictures → Screenshots, while screen recordings save automatically to Videos → Screen Recordings.
Fixes for When Win + Shift + S Stops Working
If the main shortcut stops responding, work through these steps in order.
- Restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager to refresh the shortcut handler.
- Update Windows and the Snipping Tool app through the Microsoft Store.
- Reset the app: go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Snipping Tool → Advanced options → Reset.
- Check for third-party screenshot tools running in the background, since they can override the shortcut.
Most cases resolve after a reset or an app update.
Snipping Tool vs Print Screen
| Feature | Snipping Tool | Print Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Select a specific area | Yes | No |
| Capture a single window | Yes | No |
| Built-in editing | Yes | No |
| One-key instant capture | No | Yes |
Use Win + Shift + S when you need precision over what gets captured. Use PrtSc when you just need the entire screen saved fast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the shortcut key for Snipping Tool in Windows?
The main shortcut is Win + Shift + S, which opens the capture overlay from anywhere in Windows.
How do I screen record using Snipping Tool?
Press Win + Shift + R on Windows 11 to open Snipping Tool directly in recording mode.
Does Windows 10 support Snipping Tool shortcuts?
Windows 10 supports Win + Shift + S for screenshots, but the Win + Shift + R recording shortcut is limited to Windows 11.
Where are Snipping Tool screenshots saved?
Screenshots copy to the clipboard immediately and save to Pictures → Screenshots once you choose to save the file.
Why is Win + Shift + S not working?
The shortcut can stop responding if it’s been disabled, if Windows or the Snipping Tool app is outdated, or if another app has overridden it. Restarting Windows Explorer or resetting the app usually fixes it.
Can I use Snipping Tool without a mouse?
Yes. Most functions, including switching snip modes and creating new snips, work through keyboard shortcuts like Alt + M and Alt + N.
