How to Snip on Windows: The Ultimate Guide to Screen Captures

Q: How do I take a screenshot without a keyboard?

You can use the Snip & Sketch app, accessible from the Start Menu, or use the camera icon in the Game Bar.

Q: Is Snipping Tool still available on Windows 11?

Yes, but it’s integrated with Snip & Sketch in newer Windows versions.

Q: What’s the fastest way to take a screenshot on windows?

The Windows + Shift + S shortcut for Snip & Sketch is the quickest method for most users.

Introduction

Taking a screenshot or “snipping” content off your screen might just be the most useful skill if you live in the digital world. You might have to snip just to capture an error message for tech support, save a conversation, or even just share part of a document. Windows has streamlined this process, but so many tools and shortcuts offer themselves as confusing ways on how to do it best.

Overview of Snipping Methods on Windows

In this tutorial, we will consider various snipping ways in Windows. Those range from built-in tools like Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch to keyboard shortcuts and other third-party snipping programs. Jump into the nitty-gritty of mastering snipping on Windows.

How to Crop in Windows

Windows provides the user with several ways to capture a snapshot of your screen. It all depends on what version you are running, the amount of editing you require, and when you need it. So, let’s break it down step by step.

Use Snipping Tool in Windows

Overview of the Snipping Tool

The classic Snipping Tool has been around for years and is still found on most Windows versions. It is simple and works well when you need to take a shot quickly.

Using the Snipping Tool: A Step-by-Step Guide

Open Snipping Tool: Press your Start Menu and type in “Snipping Tool.” Once the program is listed, click on it to open the software.
Use Snip Mode: Select “New” from the menu bar and choose your preferred snip mode (more on that below).
Snip Capture: Drag your cursor over the section you want to capture.
Save or Edit Your Snip: Save the snip or annotate it using built-in editing tools after the snip has been captured.

Snip Types in the Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool provides four snip types:

Free-form Snip: Allows you to capture a free-form area on your screen.
Rectangular Snip: Captures a rectangular area.
Window Snip: Captures a specific window.
Full-screen Snip: Captures the entire screen.

Snip & Sketch with Windows 10 and Later

Overview of Snip & Sketch

Snip & Sketch is the new snipping tool for Windows 10 and later versions. It is more developed and intuitive than the classic Snipping Tool.

Major Differences Between Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch

Compatibility: Works beautifully with Windows 10 and 11 UI.
Annotation and Sharing: Provides greater annotation and sharing capabilities.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Available through the shortcut Windows + Shift + S.

How to Use Snip & Sketch

Open Snip & Sketch: Press Windows key + Shift + S to open the snipping toolbar along the top of your screen.
Select Snip Style: Choose your preferred snip style.
Edit or Save Snip: Once the snip is captured, it appears as a notification. Click the notification to edit or save the snip in the Snip & Sketch window.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Snipping on Windows

Overview of Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts offer the quickest way to capture screenshots without navigating through menus.

Snipping Tool Shortcut: No direct shortcut, but you can pin it to the taskbar for easy access.
Snip & Sketch Shortcut: Windows + Shift + S.
Print Screen: Captures the entire screen and copies it to the clipboard.

How to Use Print Screen (PrtScn)

Full-Screen Copy

Captures the entire screen and pastes it to the clipboard. Press PrtScn.

Active Window Screenshot

Press Alt + PrtScn to capture only the active window.

Save Automatically

Use Windows + PrtScn to capture the entire screen and automatically save the screenshot to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.

Use Print Screen with OneDrive

Automatically save screenshots to OneDrive by enabling this feature in OneDrive settings. Go to Settings and turn on “Automatically save screenshots to OneDrive.” Each time you press Print Screen, the screenshot will be saved to OneDrive.

How to Take a Screenshot with Game Bar

Overview of the Game Bar

The Game Bar is useful for gamers or anyone who needs to take a screenshot while playing.

How to Use the Game Bar

Open Game Bar: Press Windows + G.
Take a Screenshot: Click the camera icon to capture the current screen. The screenshot will be saved to Videos > Captures.

Third-Party Snipping Tools for Windows

Overview of Third-Party Tools

Sometimes, you need more functionality than built-in tools provide. Two of the most popular third-party snipping tools are Greenshot and Lightshot.

How to Use Greenshot

Download Greenshot from the official website.
Open Capture Menu: Press PrtScn to open Greenshot’s capture menu.
Choose Capture Type: Select the type of screenshot you want to take.
Edit and Export: Use Greenshot’s built-in editing tools and export options for your snips.

Where Do My Screenshots Go?

Default Save Locations

Screenshots taken with the Windows + PrtScn key are saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder by default.
Snip & Sketch requires you to manually save your snips.
Screenshots taken with OneDrive enabled are saved directly to the cloud.

Changing the Default Save Location

Open the settings in Snip & Sketch or Snipping Tool to change where your screenshots are saved

Faq’s

How do I take a screenshot without a keyboard?

You can use the Snip & Sketch app, accessible from the Start Menu, or use the camera icon in the Game Bar.

Can I take a scrolling screenshot on Windows?

Windows doesn’t support scrolling screenshots natively, but third-party apps like Greenshot or ShareX can do this.

Is Snipping Tool still available on Windows 11?

Yes, but it’s integrated with Snip & Sketch in newer Windows versions.

What’s the fastest way to take a screenshot on windows?

The Windows + Shift + S shortcut for Snip & Sketch is the quickest method for most users.