Snipping Tool
| File:Snipping Tool 10 Icon.png | |
| File:Windows 10 snipping tool.png Snipping Tool in Windows 10 | |
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Initial release | November 7, 2002 |
| Operating system | |
| Successor | Snip & Sketch (October 2018)[2] |
| Type | Screenshot software |
| Website | support |
Snipping Tool is a Microsoft Windows screenshot utility included in Windows Vista and later. It can take still screenshots 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. Snipping Tool allows for basic image editing of the snapshot, with different colored pens, an eraser, and a highlighter.
Before Windows Vista, Snipping Tool was included in 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.[3]
Windows 10 adds a new "Delay" function, which allows for timed capture of screenshots.[4] It was replaced by Snip & Sketch in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update but it is still available in October 2018 Update. Microsoft says that it will be removed in a future update. The delay function is valuable for taking a screenshot showing context menus, or handles that appear around a graphic object when that object is selected. Without the delay feature it would not be possible to take a screenshot showing context menus and object handles because these disappear when any other item (such as the Snipping Tool itself) is clicked on. To use the delay feature, one opens the Snipping Tool and sets a delay of a few seconds. Then during that delay one opens the context menu, or selects the object so that its handles appear, and waits for the delay to lapse. At the end of the delay the Snipping Tool automatically becomes active without the user having to click, and therefore the context menu or object handles do not disappear and a screenshot can be taken of them.
See also
- Screenshot software
- Features new to Windows Vista
- Grab, a similar utility in Mac OS X
References
- ^ "Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots". Support. Microsoft. September 1, 2016.
- ^ Chen, Jennifer. "Find out what's new in Windows and Office in October". Windows 10 Blog.
- ^ "Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition". Microsoft.com. November 7, 2002. Archived from the original on December 4, 2002. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ Purewal, Sarah J. (June 30, 2015). "Capture pop-up menus with Windows 10's new delayed Snipping tool". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
