Screen capture has always been crucial for saving images directly from your screen in Windows. Windows 10 comes preinstalled with Snipping Tool that you can use to capture the entire screen, or simply select a portion of the screen to capture. But Windows 11 comes with Snip and Sketch preinstalled – an advanced version of the Snipping Tool.
Not only that, but computer keyboards also have a Print Screen (or Print Scr) button that can be used not to capture your current screen, but it does not offer as many options and capabilities as the tools mentioned.
Today we are going to discuss the different ways you can access the Snip and Sketch tool on Windows 11 as soon as you need it.
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The Snip and Sketch tool is available to download and install through the Microsoft Store app. However, since it is already installed in Windows 11, you will see the Open button when you open its Microsoft Store page on a Windows 11 machine.
That said, the Snip and Sketch tool in Windows 11 is named Snipping tool, but it is the same thing. So don’t be confused if you open Snip and Sketch and the Snipping Tool opens.
This is not the case with Windows 10. Since the old Snipping Tool is preinstalled in Windows 10, Snip and Sketch need to be installed as separate app through the Store. When you open the Snip and Sketch page in Microsoft Store in Windows 10, you will find it needs to be installed by clicking the Get button.
You can then start the Snipping Tool, Snip and Sketch as separate applications in Windows 10.
Now that the confusion is clear for the different operating systems, let us continue to see how you can open Snip and Sketch in Windows 11.
How to Open Snip and Sketch in Windows 11
Enable Print Screen Shortcut for Snip & Sketch
One of the methods is to use the Print Screen button on your keyboard for Snip and Sketch, rather than capture the current screen – which are the default settings in Windows. Follow the steps below to use the button for this purpose:
- Navigate to the following:
Settings app >> Accessibility >> Keyboard - Now scroll down and toggle the slider in front of “Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping” into the On position.
- Now restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Once the computer reboots, pressing the Print Screen button from your keyboard will instantaneously launch the Snip and Sketch tool, using which you can capture your screen and make changes to it using the app.
Using Keyboard Shortcut Keys
Another way to open the Snip and Sketch tool to capture your screen is by using the dedicated keyboard shortcut keys.
Microsoft has allotted the keys Windows Key + Shift + S that will launch Snip and Sketch on Windows 11 (and Windows 10 if installed). Pressing these keys simultaneously will launch the app to capture your screen.
Create a Shortcut
Another way to quickly access the Snip and Sketch tool is by creating a shortcut for it directly on your desktop. Follow the steps below to do so:
- Right-click on a blank space on the desktop, expand New from the context menu, and then click Shortcut.
- In the Create Shortcut wizard, paste the following:
explorer ms-screenclip:
- Now click Next.
- On the next screen, enter a name for the shortcut and click Finish.
The shortcut will now be created on your desktop. Simply double-clicking the shortcut will run Snip and Sketch.
Take Away
The Snip and Sketch tool can cause confusion if you are using both Windows 10 and 11. To further clarify, the Snip and Sketch tool is called the “Snipping Tool” for Windows 11. However, the Snipping Tool, Snip and Sketch are 2 separate apps on Windows 10.
Snip and Sketch is an advanced version of Snipping Tool and is pre-installed in Windows 11.
There is another way to access the tool in Windows 10 through the Action Center. Since Windows 11 does not have this feature, it cannot be accessed using this medium.
