When you see something interesting on your screen, it is natural that you might want to screenshot, save, and, optionally, share it. That is where a snipping tool can help you.
A good snipping tool lets you take screenshots with a single keypress on your keyboard and provides options to crop a screenshot, annotate, resize, etc. These annotating capabilities allow you to modify the screenshot however you want.
For instance, I regularly take several screenshots and do basic annotations to best represent what I’m trying to show.
Since this is Windows we are talking about; there are a lot of snipping tools you can try. Some are good, and some are bad. In this short and straightforward article, let me share with you some of the best snipping tools for Windows that make screenshotting, snipping, and annotating easy.
Best snipping tool for Windows
Below are some of the best snipping tools for Windows. Some of the snipping tools in the list are free, while others are premium. Depending on your use case and requirements, find the best one and try it.
- Snipping Tool – The built-in snipping tool that comes with Windows. Simple and easy to use.
- TechSmith Capture (Jing Tool) – A free screen capture and screen recording tool that lets you easily share your captures and recordings.
- PicPick – A free tool that lets you capture and edit screenshots, as well as includes a graphic design toolset.
- Greenshot – A free and open-source tool that offers advanced capture and editing features for screenshots and images.
- ShareX – A free and open-source tool that offers advanced capture options, editing features, and automation capabilities.
- Lightshot – A free and easy-to-use tool that lets you capture and share screenshots quickly.
- Snagit – A premium tool that offers advanced capture and editing features, as well as screen recording capabilities.
- Screenpresso – A premium snipping tool with a limited free version that offers advanced capture, editing, as well as video recording, and GIF creation capabilities.
- FastStone Capture – A premium tool for advanced capture and editing features, as well as screen recording and video editing capabilities.
- Ashampoo Snap – A premium tool with a strong focus on ease of use. It offers all the standard & advanced capture and editing features, as well as additional functionality such as OCR capabilities.
1. Snipping Tool (Snip & Sketch)
Snipping Tool is the built-in screenshotting tool in Windows. On Windows 10, the same program is called Snip & Sketch.
Compared to the old versions, the new Snipping tool is modern, easy to use, and has improved annotation tools to edit screenshots and images. If you have a touch screen, you can use the “Touch Writing” option to write or draw on the screen snip.
To take a screenshot using Snipping Tool, open the application and press the Print Screen button on your keyboard or click on the “New” button in the application window. When needed, you can take delayed screenshots by selecting the delay window from the dropdown menu. Once a snip is taken, it is automatically saved to the Pictures folder or the last saved folder by default.
If you are looking for a simple first-party application to take quick screen snips and do basic edits, Snipping Tool is pretty good. Give it a try.
2. TechSmith Capture (Jing Tool)
TechSmith Capture, formally known as Jing, is an excellent snipping tool for Windows. It has all the bells and whistles you will ever need. I’ve used TechSmith Capture for a long time to take screenshots and annotate them on the fly. One of the best things about TechSmith Capture is that it can auto-recognize and select windows and panels when you mouse over them. This makes it easy to capture a specific window or a section of the window. Of course, if you want to, you can manually select the region you want to snip.
Once you take a screen snip with TechSmith Capture, you can either upload it to a cloud service to instantly share it or save it to your local drive. As for the annotation tools, TechSmith Capture comes with a built-in editor with all the essential annotation tools like an arrow, rectangle, highlighter, callout, etc.
Besides the taking screenshots, TechSmith Capture is also capable of basic screen and webcam recording.
If you are looking for a snipping tool that can also record your screen while providing an excellent user interface, TechSmith is the one for you.
3. PicPick
If you like using Microsoft Office products, you will love the PicPick screenshot tool. One of the main reasons is that PicPick’s user interface and design language closely follow regular Office applications. Some of PicPick’s features include but are not limited to full-screen capture, region capture, freehand capture, scrolling window capture, a wide range of graphic accessories, essential annotation tools, the ability to share screenshots, etc. Simply put, PicPick has almost every feature you will ever need, no matter the screenshot type you are taking. Not to mention, the plethora of options lets you customize the application to meet your specific needs.
Along with all the regular features, PicPick also comes with a neat little feature called Whiteboard. As you can guess from the name itself, it gives you a blank canvas to draw anything you want using the graphics accessories in PicPick.
Overall, PicPick is a fantastic free snipping tool for taking screenshots in Windows. Do keep in mind that the free version is for personal use only and doesn’t support auto-updates. i.e., you have to update it manually. If you want auto-updates or to use it in a commercial environment, purchase the Professional license.
4. Greenshot
Greenshot is a top-rated application among Windows users for taking screenshots. One of the best things about Greenshot is that it is very lightweight compared to all other applications on this list. Even so, Greenshot works like a charm and has all the basic and even some advanced features for all kinds of screenshots needs.
Of course, Greenshot comes with an editor to make essential annotations. Even though the user interface looks a bit old, it is very functional and shows all the options front and center so that you don’t have to dig through various menus to do simple tasks like opening an image in the editor or sharing a screenshot with other applications or services.
If you want a lightweight screenshot application with all the features required to take a good screenshot, give Greenshot a try. You will like it.
5. ShareX
For a long time now, ShareX has been one of my favorite applications for taking screen snips in Windows. A few main reasons are its open-source nature and many options to customize the application the way you want.
When it comes to features, ShareX beats every application on this list. Using ShareX, you can take screenshots in various capture methods like full screen, active window, active monitor, menus, freehand, scrolling capture, etc. If needed, you can even do basic screen recording and create simple GIFs too. In addition to that, ShareX also has a built-in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) that lets you capture text from screenshots. This particular feature is handy if you are trying to grab text from old screenshots or books.
Of course, like any good screenshot tool, ShareX has a powerful editor to annotate images and screenshots. Once done with the editing, you can upload or share the screenshot with a wide range of services directly without leaving ShareX.
One of the exciting features of ShareX is that you can configure “After capture tasks.” This feature helps you automate things that you always do after taking a screenshot. For example, maybe you want to watermark the image as soon as you take a screenshot. In that case, you can make ShareX do that by configuring the After Capture Tasks.
All in all, ShareX is a potent yet user-friendly tool for taking screenshots in Windows. Keep in mind that there is a bit of a learning curve when you first start using the ShareX application, but it is well worth it. If you don’t mind the learning curve, I strongly recommend using ShareX.
6. Lightshot
Lightshot is a free and user-friendly snipping tool that lets you capture and share screenshots quickly. You can capture a specific area on the screen or even the entire screen with just a few clicks. In addition to capturing screenshots, Lightshot offers a built-in editor that allows you to add annotations, text, or shapes and even blur out sensitive information. One of the unique features of Lightshot is its instant upload functionality that lets you share your captures with just one click.
Download Lightshot
7. Snagit
Snagit is a powerful snipping tool widely used to capture screenshots, videos, and other visual content. One of the key features that sets Snagit apart from other snipping tools is its wide range of capture modes, including scrolling, panoramic, and capture delay. Snagit also includes a built-in editor that offers advanced editing tools, such as the ability to add text, shapes, and arrows to your captures, as well as the ability to blur sensitive information.
Another unique feature of Snagit is its ability to create animated GIFs and videos from your captures, which is particularly useful for creating instructional content or demonstrating a process.
Compared to all other software on this list, Snagit is a bit expensive but is also quite feature rich with an excellent image editor, customization option, and more.
Price: $62.99
Download Snagit
8. Screenpresso
Screenpresso is another powerful snipping tool popular for its intuitive interface and advanced features. One of the unique features of Screenpresso is its ability to capture content from various sources, including web pages, applications, and games. Screenpresso also includes a range of editing and annotation tools, including the ability to add text, shapes, and arrows to your captures, as well as the ability to blur sensitive information.
Other useful features of Screenpresso include the ability to record videos and create time-lapse captures, as well as the ability to share your captures directly to social media, email, or cloud services.
Price: Free with limited features. You can upgrade to the premium version at $29.99
Download Screenpresso
9. Faststone Capture
FastStone Capture is an excellent snipping tool for Windows that offers a wide range of features. This software lets you capture anything on your screen, including windows, objects, full-screen, rectangular, and freehand regions. It also provides various annotation tools, including adding text, arrows, highlights, and shapes.
Additionally, it allows you to capture images from scanners, cameras, and other devices, and it also has a screen magnifier and a color picker. One of the unique features of FastStone is its ability to record videos of your screen, making it ideal for creating tutorials or recording gameplay. The interface is user-friendly and straightforward, making it easy to navigate.
Price: $29.95
Download FastStone Capture
10. Ashampoo Snap
Ashampoo Snap is a great snipping tool for Windows that is known for its ease of use and powerful features. It allows you to take screenshots of anything on your screen, including individual windows, scrolling web pages, and freehand regions.
After taking screenshots, you can annotate them with text, arrows, shapes, and highlights. One of the unique features of Ashampoo Snap is its ability to capture videos of your screen, including audio.
It also offers a range of editing tools, such as crop, resize, and special effects. Additionally, it has a feature that allows you to capture multiple screenshots and combine them into a single image, making it ideal for creating collages or documenting long web pages. The software has a user-friendly interface and is easy to navigate.
Price: $12.99 per year or $40 one-time fee.
Download Ashampoo Snap
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That is all. These are my favorite snipping applications for taking screenshots on Windows. If you think I missed any of your favorite snipping tools for Windows, let me know.
I hope this simple and easy Windows snipping tools article helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
