Want to share something from your screen easily? Find out here how to make a screenshot using Microsoft Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
First, Guess Any Face’s Pretty Side
When you take a portrait, you should also take a guess: every face has two sides, and one will be liked better than the other. Which one should your photo show?
If your subject neither tells you nor takes a selfie (typically from the angle they prefer), here’s how to guess: it’s the left side. Most people prefer their face’s left side over the right.
Now, for portraits of your Windows desktop? I’d guess full frontal:
How to Make a Screenshot with Snipping Tool (Snip & Sketch) on Windows
Time needed: 3 minutes
To take a screenshot (of the whole screen or just a part) in Windows 10 or 11 with Snipping Tool (Snip and Sketch on Windows 10):
- Open Snipping Tool or Snip and Sketch.
Snipping Tool shortcut: You can also press Windows Shift S to immediately make a screenshot or set up the Print key to do the same.
- Click New.
Screenshot countdown timer: Click the downward-pointed arrowhead (˅) next to New in the Snip and Sketch toolbar to add a delay before grabbing the screen.
- Choose how much of the screen you want to capture:
Rectangular Snip: Grab a rectangle, say a window. Note that you cannot have Snipping Tool select a window for you; you do have to drag the rectangle around it.
Freeform Snip: Select any area on the screen; you can get creative, Snipping Tool will always complete your form with a straight line.
Window Snip: Grab a screenshot of a highlighted window as is (i.e. if you select a window that is overlapped by another window, the overlapping part will be snipped).
Full-Screen Snip: Grab the whole screen.
- If you initiated the screenshot with a keyboard shortcut, optionally click the notification that appears to open the screenshot for annotating.
Pasting: The screenshot has been copied to the clipboard, and you can paste it into another image editor or save it to disk from the clipboard.
Saving to disk from Snipping Tool: You can also have Snipping Tool prompt you to save screenshots to disk. - Optionally, annotate and edit the screenshot you have taken using Snipping Tool’s markup tools.
Redact: If you captured something you don’t want to share, you can blacken out text in a Snipping Tool screenshot.
How to Make a Screenshot with Snipping Tool (Snip & Sketch) on Windows: FAQ
Snipping Tool is not showing the preview; what can I do?
If you do not get preview notifications for screenshots you take, you can enable these previews in Windows (and find the screenshots in their default location or save them from the clipboard, of course).
Where can I find the Snip & Sketch download for Windows 10?
You can download and install the screenshot app from the Microsoft Store for free:
- Visit Snip & Sketch in Microsoft Store.
- Click Get.
- Now click Install.
Where is the Windows 10 Snip & Sketch folder located?
Microsoft Snipping Tool is installed to the C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\ folder as Microsoft.ScreenSketch .
You can find it in the Start menu as Snip & Sketch at the top level (not in any Start menu folder).
Settings for the app are in the folder C:\Users\{user name}\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.ScreenSketch_{string}\Settings .
Can I rotate an image in Snipping Tool?
No, Snip and Sketch lets you crop but not rotate a screenshot.
You can select Open with… from the See more (…) menu to open the image in Paint or Paint 3D, for example, where you can rotate.
How can I remove the ruler or protractor from my image?
To remove the ruler or protractor:
- Click the Ruler icon in the toolbar.
- Select the highlighted item from the menu that has appeared to remove it.
(How to use Microsoft Snipping Tool or Snip and Sketch to make a screenshot on Windows tested with Snipping Tool 11.2304–11.2310 and Snip & Sketch 10.1907; updated December 2023)