Windows 7 / Getting Started

Snipping the Screen

The Snipping Tool allows you to capture a screen shot of anything currently on your screen as an image file. After you capture the image, you can annotate, save and share it with others in an e-mail. You can capture the screen in different ways: draw a free-form shape around an object, draw a rectangle around an object, select a window, or take the entire screen.

Use the Snipping Tool

  1. Click the Start button, point to All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Snipping Tool.
  2. To change snipping options, click the Options button, select the options you want, and then click OK.
  3. To capture a screen, click the New Snip button arrow, and then select a capture option:
    • Free-form Snip.
    • Rectangle Snip.
    • Window Snip.
    • Full-screen Snip.
  4. Drag a free-form or rectangle shape, or click a window.
  5. To annotate the image, use the Pen, Highlighter, and Eraser tools.
  6. To share the image, use the Send Snip button.
  7. Click the Save button, select a save location, and then select a file format (PNG, GIF, JPEG, or MHT). MHT is for a single page web page.
  8. To copy it to the Clipboard to paste in a document, click the Copy button.
  9. When you're done, click the Close button.
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