How to Use Snip and Sketch in Windows 10

This app can do more than the Windows Snipping Tool

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Updated on November 8, 2021

What to Know

Open Snip & Sketch and select New, then choose a mode: Window Snip, Fullscreen Snip, Rectangular Snip, or Freeform.
The snip appears in the Snip & Sketch window. You can choose to Copy it or Share it.
You can edit a snip after taking one. Use the Pencil or Ballpoint Pen to add text, use Crop to adjust the size, and more.

Snip & Sketch is the Windows 10 answer to the Windows Snipping Tool. It provides the same screenshot capabilities, but with even greater functionality. Learn how to use it to take a screenshot on Windows 10.

How to Take a Screenshot

Taking a screenshot with Snip and Sketch is fast and easy. The quickest way to screenshot Window 10 with Snip & Sketch is by pressing the keyboard shortcut Windows Key+Shift+S. This opens the Snipping Bar, allowing you to select a mode and snip without opening the Snip & Sketch app.

To open Snip & Sketch, take a screenshot, and edit or manage it, follow these steps.

Open Snip & Sketch. You can do so by typing snip into the Windows Search box near the Start button and selecting Open under Snip & Sketch in the list of apps that appears.
Select the arrow next to New to open the Delay drop-down menu and select a delay time, if desired. Otherwise, choose New. The Snipping Bar will open.
Select a mode. If you select Window Snip or Fullscreen Snip, select any area on the screen to take a snip. If you select Rectangular Snip or Freeform Snip, click and drag the area of the screen you want to snip.
Your snip will appear in the Snip & Sketch window.
Select the Copy icon to create a copy of the snip, which might be helpful if you want to edit the screenshot but also keep the original.
Select the Share button to share the snip with others. Your options will vary based on your apps and settings but might include email contacts, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi sharing, instant messaging, and social media platforms.
Close the window when you are finished.

How to Edit in Snip & Sketch

Once you take a snip, the editing tools let you annotate and customize your screenshots.

Although the tools work best with a pen device, selecting the Touch Writing button enables you to use the Annotating tools with a mouse or touch.

Select the Ballpoint Pen or Pencil to write or draw on the snip. Select either tool twice to open the color palette and select a different color or size.
Select the Eraser tool and drag it on the snip to remove specific strokes. Click it twice and select Erase All Ink to erase any annotations you have made.
Select the ruler or protractor tools to make it easier to draw straight lines or arches. Select the button again to hide the tool.

Two-finger touch gestures will resize or rotate the tools if touch is activated.
Select the Crop button and use the dragging handles to crop the image.

Select the crop tool again and select Cancel to undo a crop before applying it.
Select the Save icon to save the screenshot.

Although the default file name for screenshots in the Windows Snipping Tool was Capture.jpg, each snip in Snip & Sketch is saved as Annotation followed by the date and a sequential number.

Snip & Sketch vs. Windows Snipping Tool

The Snip & Sketch tool is available on Windows 10 systems running October 2018 build and above. However, if you don't find it on your computer, you have the ability to download it from the Microsoft Store.

If you are well-versed in the features of the Snipping Tool, you will be pleased to discover the same features are available in Snip & Sketch, albeit with some modifications.

Delay

The Delay option in the Snipping Tool offered delays from 1 - 5 seconds. In Snip & Sketch, the Delay option is on the New drop-down menu with options to snip Now, In 3 Seconds, or In 10 Seconds.

Mode

The Mode option that appears on the Snipping Tool toolbar is not immediately evident, but it does exist. When you select New on the Snip & Sketch window, the "Snipping Bar" will appear at the top of your screen. This bar includes four mode options:

Rectangular Snip
Freeform Snip
Window Snip
Fullscreen Snip

Other Options

The Save, Copy, and Share options all live in the Snip & Sketch toolbar just as they did in the Snipping Tool. In addition, there is a Pen, a Highlighter, and an Eraser just like the Snipping Tool made popular.

But, unlike the Snipping Tool, there is no option to edit your snip in Paint. Instead, Snip & Sketch offers its own, richer editing capabilities.

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