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Snipping Tool

Microsoft Windows screenshot utility

Summary

Microsoft Windows screenshot utility

FieldValue
logoSnipping Tool Icon.png
logo_sizex64px
screenshotSnipping Tool Window Screenshot.png
screenshot_size300px
captionSnipping Tool in Windows 11
developerMicrosoft
released
ver layoutstacked
operating system{{Plainlist
*Windows 7 (excluding Home Basic and Starter editions)<ref>{{cite weburlhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13776/windows-use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshotstitle=Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshotswebsite=Supportpublisher=Microsoftdate=September 1, 2016}}
genreScreenshot and screencast software
discontinuedno
  • Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (Experience pack)
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows 7 (excluding Home Basic and Starter editions)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows Home Server 2011
  • Windows 8.x
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows 11}} Snipping Tool is a Microsoft Windows screenshot and screencast utility included in Windows Vista and later. It can take still screenshots or record videos of an open window, rectangular areas, a free-form area, or the entire screen. Snips can then be annotated using a mouse or a tablet, stored as an image file (PNG, GIF, or JPEG file) or an MHTML file, or e-mailed. The Snipping Tool allows for basic image editing of the snapshot, with different colored pens, an eraser, and a highlighter.

History

Before Windows Vista, the Snipping Tool, originally known as the Clipping Tool, was included in the Experience Pack for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. It was originally released as a PowerToy for the Microsoft Tablet PC launch on November 7, 2002.

In Windows 10 version 1809, a new Universal app version of Snipping Tool known as Snip & Sketch was introduced. It was first named Screen Sketch, and was initially a component of the Windows Ink Workspace. Snipping Tool was modified to contain a notice warning of the application's deprecation, which encouraged users to move to Snip & Sketch. Despite this, the app was never removed from Windows 10.

In April 2021, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider build 21354, which made the Snipping Tool updateable from the Microsoft Store by being packaged with Snip & Sketch.

Windows 11 insider build 22000.132, released on August 12, 2021, introduced an update to Snip & Sketch that renames it to Snipping Tool and ports it to WinUI 3.0 and brings an interface closer to the legacy Snipping Tool. The legacy snipping tool was removed with this build. Since the update on November 07, 2025, Snipping Tool has a screen recording function.

References

References

  1. (September 1, 2016). "Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots". [[Microsoft]].
  2. (November 7, 2002). "Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition".
  3. Chen, Jennifer. (October 2, 2018). "Find out what's new in Windows and Office in October".
  4. Tung, Liam. "Windows 10 screen snipping tool: Microsoft gives it a new name, adds delay feature".
  5. Bott, Ed. "Windows 10 tip: How to use the new Snip & Sketch app for smart screenshots".
  6. Weatherbed, Jess. (2021-09-17). "Windows 11 gets updated Snipping Tool for better screenshots".
  7. Blog, Windows Insider. (April 7, 2021). "Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21354".
  8. Tung, Liam. "Windows 10: Paint and Snipping Tool now update from the Microsoft Store".
  9. Blog, Windows Insider. (August 12, 2021). "Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22000.132".
  10. Blog, Windows Insider. (2021-08-12). "First set of Windows app updates rolling out to Windows Insiders for Windows 11".
  11. Vipsama, Amar. (2021-09-17). "Windows 11 gets updated Snipping Tool for better screenshots".
  12. "Snipping Tool".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

windows-components windows-vista windows-7 windows-8 windows-server-2008 windows-server-2008-r2 screenshot-software 2002-software
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