How to use Snip & Sketch to take screenshots on Windows 10 October 2018 Update

By Mauro Huculak
last updated

Windows 10 now includes the Snip & Sketch app to take screenshots, and in this guide, you'll learn the steps on how to use it.

Starting with the October 2018 Update, Windows 10 is modernizing the experience to take screenshots with the new Snip & Sketch app, which combines the legacy Snipping Tool with Screen sketch (previously part of Windows Ink Workspace).

The result is a single experience to take and annotate screenshots of the desktop, apps, and games without the need for third-party tools, and an app that will be frequently updated through the Microsoft Store.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to get started with the new Snip & Sketch app to take screenshots with the October 2018 update.

How to take screenshots with Snip & Sketch

Using Snip & Sketch, there are at least three ways to access and take screenshots on Windows 10:

Using Snip & Sketch app

The easiest way to get to the snipping tools is to use the Snip & Sketch app with these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Snip & Sketch, click the top result to open the experience.
  3. Click the New button in the top-left corner.

  1. Select the type of snip you want to use, including:
    • Rectangular Clip.
    • Freeform Clip.
    • Fullscreen Clip.

  1. Take the screenshot.

Using Action Center quick button

If you want to take a screenshot to paste on a document, you can use the new Screen snip button using these steps:

  1. Open Action Center.Quick tip: Use the Windows key + A keyboard shortcut, or click the Action Center button in the notification area to open the experience.
  2. Click the Expand button.
  3. Click the Screen snip button.

  1. Select the type of snip you want to use, including:
    • Rectangular Clip.
    • Freeform Clip.
    • Fullscreen Clip.

  1. Take the screenshot.

Using the Print Screen button

If you enabled the option, you can take screenshots on Windows 10 using the Print Screen key.

  1. Hit the Print Screen button.Quick Tip: Alternatively, you can use the Windows key + Shift + S shortcut to open the snipping toolbar.
  2. Select the type of snip you want to use, including:
    • Rectangular Clip.
    • Freeform Clip.
    • Fullscreen Clip.

  1. Take the screenshot.

Unlike using Snip & Sketch app when using the Screen snip button or the Print Screen key, the screenshot will copy to the clipboard. If you want to annotate the snip or save it into a file, you need to click the Snip & Sketch notifications in Action Center.

How to enable Print Screen button to use Snip & Sketch

You can also bring up the screen snipping tool using the Print Screen button on the keyboard, but it's an option that you need to enable manually using these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Ease of Access.
  3. Click on Keyboard.
  4. Under "Print Screen shortcut," turn on the Use the PrtScn button to open the screen snipping option.

After completing the steps, you can hit the Print Screen key on your keyboard to take screenshots on Windows 10.

How to annotate screenshots with Snip & Sketch

Alongside the ability to quickly take screenshots on Windows 10, the app includes a number of tools to annotate images virtually any way you like.

Once you've taken the screenshot (or you can use the open (folder) button to load an image), the image will open in Snip & Sketch. While in the experience, you can use a number of tools to annotate the screenshot, including ballpoint pen, pencil, and marker. All of which you can click to customize the color and thickness.

In addition, there's an eraser to delete one or all the strokes from the screenshot. You can use the digital ruler to draw straight lines, and there's a cropping tool to trim the excess.

These tools have been designed to work best using a stylus on a touch-enabled device, but they also work with a keyboard and mouse.

On the far-right corner, you'll find the options to save the snip as a PNG file. You can also use the copy button to copy the image to the clipboard, which you can then paste on any document.

Finally, there's the share button that brings up the experience to send the screenshot to another person using email, nearby sharing, or another supported application.

Do you like the new experience to take screenshots on Windows 10? Tell us in the comments.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

15 Comments
  • I wish the Share ability allowed sending to a new message in Your Phone.
  • It's missing: Text input for non touch device users (most 3rd party screen capture tools have this)
    Ability to mark a capture with some basic clip art shapes, like Crosses, and Ticks (in green and red obviously)
    Arrows Its a good start. But OSX allows text for example.
    Simple basic features missed by Microsoft again. Who are the development managers over there, these aren't rocket science features.
    <smh>
  • Agee with you. I was just wondering where is it, then realised it's not there at all. So stupid!!
  • Your Phone can't view images in MMS messages at present so I doubt that they'd be able to send images in messages the other way. I'm not sure whether there's some technical limitation that prevents accessing MMS images or they just haven't got around to implementing it yet but I very much doubt we'd see images going out of Your Phone until we see them coming in. Hopefully the Photos section of Your Phone will allow dragging in as well as dragging out so we could at least send an image to the phone and then message it from there.
  • The app is inferior to the Snipping Tool. It only saves in .png not .jpg! When this app can snip and save it in pdf and also print to a file or printer, then I call it a real tool!
  • Saving Screenshots in PNG is the better choise. JPG noise is something you don't want in an Screenshot.
    However, i really do like Screenpresso.
  • Weird, there's no "Window Snip" unlike that Snipping Tool. Why?
  • Agreed, and I put in feedback asking for a window snip option
  • I like the new app. Although I will concur with others that the ability to apply text and a window snip feature would really make this app extremely useful.
  • I use the Snipping Tool a lot and have it set to activate with one of the buttons on my Surface mouse. Unfortunately the new Snip tool isn't an option. I can set the mouse buttons to open any WIN32 app, but again, unfortunately Windows Store apps are not an option because you can't access their executive file location. What a pain.
  • @mauro hey, I didn't read this :P but https://www.windowscentral.com/how-launch-bash-shell-right-click-context... was a good article that helped me, thank you! uh, only commenting here because it said i didn't have enough rep to comment on an old article. so um, f- your rep system, you deserve a shout out! also i couldn't google you.. so good job there? idk, anyways, thank again.
  • But windows 10 October update has been pulled, so very few people have it. I'm surprised this article wasn't held back till the re-release.
  • Is there a way to save as a file automatically, like on macos where you hit the button and then the file is available on the desktop? Currently I'm using greenshot to mimic that behavior.
  • Hi there, How do I remove the ruler after summon it?
    How do I zoom in or out the large pixel file? Thanks you <3
  • Why? Oh why, for the love of everything that is holy did they not give the option to select an area and just have it save that shot instead of having to take it into the editor and save it? I want to highlight and have it save automatically. One step.