Your favorite snipping tool is also seeing a redesign on Windows 11

Snipping Tool on Windows
(Image credit: TechRadar)

Alongside Paint seeing a redesign in Windows 11, the snipping tool is also being refreshed to make it look similar to the newest upgrade from Microsoft, alongside some layout changes.

We’ve all been in a situation where we just need to quickly take a screenshot of a certain window to send to someone in an email. For a long while, the ‘Print Screen’ key would take a screenshot, which would then allow us to paste into an app, such as Paint or Microsoft Word.

But with Snipping Tool having appeared as an extra app in a tablet edition of Windows XP back in 2002, it was quickly seen as the next best go-to method for taking screenshots in Windows.

However, with a focus on apps being redesigned for Windows 11, the Snipping Tool is about to see some changes to better help you take even more screenshots when needed.

A regenerated Snipping Tool

It had been rumored for some time that the tool would see a refresh for Windows 11, especially with a notice in recent versions that it would be replaced by a new app called Snip and Sketch.

But on August 4, Chief Product Officer for Microsoft Pinos Panay published a video on Twitter showcasing the new Snipping Tool on Windows 11.

It looks to have taken the same Fluent Design cues that are prevalent across the new Windows upgrade, alongside a new toolbar that helps to simplify how you can capture images.

The new tool is due to appear in a future Insider Build for Windows 11 soon, so users who are already installing these from the dev channels will be able to see just how this new Snipping Tool app works very soon.


Analysis: the elephant in the snip and sketch room

For many months, way before Windows 11 was announced, there has been a notification when opening up Snipping Tool that speaks of being replaced by a new tool, called Snip and Sketch.

Released in 2018, it’s a tool that’s admittedly less intuitive than Snipping Tool, and raises the question of why there’s two similar tools at the moment, with a replacement feeling worse than what came before.

Again, similar to the debacle of the required Windows 11 specifications, it’s confusion from Microsoft reigning high here. A new Snipping Tool is now confirmed from Panay, but there’s still a notification that it’s being replaced by another app as well.

Instead, a combination of both apps could be more beneficial, removing the confusion and letting users know that Snipping Tool is going to be the one and only app from the company that will have the ability to take screenshots.

With only a few months to a final release as the rumors are implying, it’s a perfect opportunity for Insider Build users to let their thoughts be known, and let Snipping Tool be the one true application for taking screenshots with ease in Windows 11.

Via Windows Latest

Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in 2024, with a third book coming in 2026. He also has a newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.

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