Although Windows has had built-in screenshot functionality for decades, Windows 10 recently elevated the screenshotting experience with its new Snip & Sketch app. Available only with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and newer, Snip & Sketch replaces the old Snipping Tool experience, which still remains available. In this guide, we’ll walk you through using it to create and annotate a screenshot.
Snip & Sketch combines the simplicity of Snipping Tool with the advanced functionality of Microsoft Snip. The latter app was a Microsoft Garage project from a few years ago, which never gained much attention and is no longer available for download. Existing users of both Snip and Snipping Tool may find Snip & Sketch now serves them better.
To launch Snip & Sketch, search for its name in the Start menu. Creating a new screenshot is as simple as clicking the highlighted “New” button in the top-left of the app. After clicking “New,” the app will automatically minimise, leaving you free to screenshot everything else on your PC.
By default, Snip & Sketch will be in Rectangular mode. This lets you drag out a rectangular region of your screen to capture. The toolbar at the top of the display allows you to switch to Freeform mode (make a lasso region selection) or Fullscreen mode, which captures your entire screen. The only notably absent mode is window snipping, a feature of Microsoft Snip which let you capture a single window on your desktop.
Click and drag with the mouse to create your screenshot. The captured image will then appear in the Snip & Sketch app. Here, you can annotate your screenshot using the Windows Ink toolbar at the top of the display – although it’s best used with a digital pen, you can also use touch or even the mouse to highlight an important area.
When you’re done, you can use the Save button in the top-right, or the Ctrl+S shortcut, to save your image. Alternatively, Ctrl+C or the Copy button will copy the image to your clipboard. It’s also possible to share directly to other apps, with the button in the top-right next to the “…” ellipsis menu. This menu contains a few extra options too, including the ability to print your image.
If you’re just looking to take a basic screenshot, these features may seem like overkill. Thankfully, Snip & Sketch automatically copies your image to the clipboard as soon as it’s created – no need to press Ctrl+C yourself if you won’t be editing it.
In addition, it’s possible to make Snip & Sketch handle presses of the “Print Screen” keyboard key, so you can use it without having to open the app directly. To enable this, open Snip & Sketch’s settings from the “…” menu and click the “Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping.” You’ll be redirected to the Settings app to make the change.
Finally, Snip & Sketch incorporates the capture delay features of Snipping Tool – just click the downwards-pointing arrow next to the “New” button to choose a delay of 3 or 10 seconds. Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to set a custom delay.
That’s all for Snip & Sketch, although we expect to see more new features added in the future. If you’re on an older version of Windows 10 that doesn’t include the app, remember you can still use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots with similar functionality. The classic “Print Screen” key is also a convenience option, letting you capture your entire desktop and save it to your clipboard.
