Windows 11 Snipping Tool Masterclass

Discover how to trigger the floating capture toolbar with Win + Shift + S, use 4 distinct capture modes, annotate images, and leverage delay timers.

Primary Windows 11 Tool Shortcut: Win + Shift + S

Snipping Overlay Floating Toolbar Breakdown

Rectangular Freeform Window Full Screen Close (Esc)

The 4 Capture Modes Explained

1. Rectangular Snip (Default)

Click and drag a box cursor over any precise area on your screen. When you release the mouse button, the boxed area is immediately captured to clipboard and opened in the Snipping Tool editor.

2. Freeform Snip

Draw an organic custom shape around any subject, object, or text. Everything inside your custom drawn perimeter is captured with transparent or solid background borders.

3. Window Snip

Hover over any application window, dialog box, or taskbar module. The targeted window lights up; simply click to capture that exact window without manually cropping margins.

4. Full Screen Snip

Captures all visible desktop area across your main display (or multi-monitor setup) instantly into the editor.

Snipping Tool Editor Tools & Delay Timers

Pen & Highlighter

Draw smooth colored ink strokes or translucent highlight lines over screenshot elements. You can adjust stroke thickness, opacity, and custom hex color palettes.

Ruler & Protractor

Toggle a virtual straight ruler or 360-degree protractor overlay to draw straight lines or measure pixel angles directly on your screen captures.

Delay Timer (3s, 5s, 10s)

Open the main Snipping Tool window, set a 3, 5, or 10-second delay timer before clicking New. This gives you time to open dropdown menus, tooltips, or right-click context menus before snip activation.

How to Use Snipping Tool in 4 Simple Steps

  1. Trigger Hotkey (Win + Shift + S)

    Press Win + Shift + S to bring up the floating overlay on your screen.

  2. Select Desired Capture Mode

    Click one of the 4 mode icons on the top toolbar (Rectangular, Freeform, Window, or Full Screen).

  3. Make Your Selection

    Click and drag over the screen content. Upon release, a notification toast pops up in the bottom-right corner.

  4. Annotate, Copy, or Save

    Click the popup notification to open the full Snipping Tool editor window. Add drawings, crop, perform OCR text extraction, or save (Ctrl + S).