Is this angle 90° or acute? How steep is the incline? Find out here how to use the Snipping Tool (Snip and Sketch) protractor tool to measure angles in screenshots and images on screen with precision.
First, from the Elbow to the Tip of the Middle Finger
From the elbow to the middle finger’s tip fit seven palms, which make one royal cubit in Ancient Egypt’s measuring system.
Now, if you measure the width of a pyramid in palms (then divide in two) and its height in cubits, their ratio gets you a classic measure of angles: the seked. The Khufu pyramid’s “walls,” for instance, are at an angle of near precisely 5.5 seked (51.87°).
How to Measure Angles on Screen with Protractor in Windows Snipping Tool
Time needed: 2 minutes
To measure angles precisely in Snipping Tool (Snip and Sketch) for Windows 10 and Windows 11 using the built-in protractor:
- Click the Ruler or the Protractor icon in the Snipping Tool toolbar.
Make it the protractor: If the ruler appears, click and hold the Ruler icon, then select Protractor from the menu that appears.
Keyboard shortcut: Press Alt L twice to bring up the ruler and protractor menu. - Position the center of the protractor’s circle at the vertex of the angle you want to measure.
- Choose a pen, pencil, highlighter, and color.
No eraser: You need to draw along the protractor to measure, so a drawing tool needs to be selected.
Snipping Tool shortcuts: Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch offer keyboard shortcuts for the tools, e.g. Alt B for the pen and Alt I for the pencil. - Draw along the protractor’s outer edge to measure the angle in degrees.
- Optional: Click Undo to remove the line but keep the measurement on the Snipping Tool protractor.
New measurement: Move the protractor to reset it and measure another angle.
Keeping the angle measurement: Save the screenshot as is to keep the measurement.
Writing down the degrees? How to Make Degrees Symbol ( ° ) on Windows Keyboard
Want to draw lines instead of circles? How to use the Snipping Tool ruler (also at an angle if you fancy that).
How to Measure Angles on Screen with Protractor in Windows Snipping Tool: FAQ
Can I change the size of the protractor?
You cannot change the protractor’s size after it has been added to the image. The tool is, in effect, always the same size.
To change how big the protractor is relative to what you measure:
- Remove the protractor or ruler from the screenshot.
- Zoom in or out of the image to focus on the part you want to measure.
Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut: Press Alt Z to zoom. - Add the protractor again and measure as above.
Can I use the protractor to draw circles?
Yes.
As you draw all or part of the way around the protractor tool, you do draw along a circle in Snipping Tool.
(How to use the protractor to measure angles on screen tested with Snipping Tool 11.2304 and Snip and Sketch 10.2008; updated January 2024)