| Snipping Tool | |||||
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 Snipping Tool in Windows 11 | |||||
| Developer | Microsoft | ||||
| Initial release | November 7, 2002; 23 years ago (2002-11-07) | ||||
| Stable release(s)[±] | |||||
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| Operating system |
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| Type | Screenshot andscreencast software | ||||
| Website | support | ||||
Snipping Tool is aMicrosoft Windowsscreenshot andscreencastutility included inWindows Vista and later. It can take still screenshots or record videos of an openwindow, rectangularareas, a free-form area, or the entire screen. Snips can then be annotated using a mouse or atablet, stored as an image file (PNG,GIF, orJPEG file) or anMHTML file, ore-mailed. The Snipping Tool allows for basic image editing of the snapshot, with different colored pens, an eraser, and a highlighter.
Before Windows Vista, the Snipping Tool, originally known as the Clipping Tool, was included in the Experience Pack forWindows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. It was originally released as aPowerToy for theMicrosoft Tablet PC launch on November 7, 2002.[3]
InWindows 10 version 1809, a newUniversal app version of Snipping Tool known asSnip & Sketch was introduced. It was first namedScreen Sketch, and was initially a component of theWindows Ink Workspace.[4][5][6] Snipping Tool was modified to contain a notice warning of the application'sdeprecation, which encouraged users to move to Snip & Sketch. Despite this, the app was never removed from Windows 10.[7]
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.[8][9]
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.[10][11][12] Since the update on November 07, 2025, Snipping Tool has a screen recording function.[13]
