You can’t use a computer or laptop without downloading any productivity tools. Screen capture is one of the tools that most users download to save important things. However, it isn’t easy to find a screenshot tool that supports different platforms. Snipaste is of the powerful snipping tool that is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The application detects the UI elements of your system automatically and provides pixel-level control over your mouse cursor. You can either copy the image to the clipboard for advanced video editing (needs third-party editor) or save it locally on your computer.
The Snipaste tool is free to use, and you can download the installer file directly from its website. Windows 10 users can also download the app from the Microsoft Store.
How to Take Screenshots on Windows using Snipaste?
The user interface of Snipaste may look similar to Lightshot. Right from its interface, you can edit and make changes to the Screenshot. You don’t need an editor for that. If you want, you can copy the screenshot to the clipboard and open it on the Paint or any other tool for advanced editing options.
Unlike other tools, it doesn’t rely on the Print Screen key. Instead, it uses the function keys for snipping and pasting. Press the shortcut key and select the required area on the screen. The crosshair helps you to take screenshots accurately.
Shortcut keys to take screenshot:
| F1 | Snip the particular region |
| Ctrl + F1 | Take the screenshot and copy it to the clipboard automatically |
| Shift + F1 | Take the custom snip |
| F3 | Paste the image |
| Shift + F3 | Show or hide all the screenshots |
| Ctrl + F3 | Switch to another image group |
Note – The shortcut keys mentioned in the table can be customized in the settings.
Upon selecting the required area, Snipaste will present the following tools to highlight the image’s important things.
- Rectangle/Ellipse (Ctrl + 1) – To draw a rectangle or ellipse shape on the screenshot.
- Line Strip (Ctrl + 2) – To draw a line on the image.
- Arrow (Ctrl + 3) – Draw an arrow symbol.
- Pencil (Ctrl + 4) – Draw a freehand shape on the screenshot.
- Marker Pen (Ctrl + 5) – Mark or highlight the important things.
- Blur (Ctrl + 6) – To blur the unwanted portions on the image.
- Text (Ctrl + 7) – Enter a text on your screenshot.
- Eraser (E) – Erase the things that you made on the screenshot.
Apart from these tools, it also presents options to undo/redo, close the Snipaste, pin the screenshot, save the image, or copy the image to the clipboard. After applying the changes, save the image to your device in formats like PNG, JPEG, or BMP.
Snipaste is highly customizable, and you can change its settings according to your preference. Here are the things that you change on Snipaste
- The default location to store your screenshots.
- Interface font.
- Width of the border in px.
- Output filename and format.
- Hotkeys and mouse control for image operations like zoom, fast thumbnail, copy text, adjust capacity, and more.
- Auto backup the images.
You can find all these settings by navigating to or right-click the Snipaste icon on the Windows toolbar and select preferences. The settings will be categorized in different sections like General, Interface, Snip, Paste, Output, Control, and About.
Note – On Mac and Linux, the procedure and settings remain the same. Only the hotkeys may vary depending on the platform. You can find them easily on the Snipaste settings.
Things to Consider
Snipaste is a decent option for basic screenshot operations. However, it lacks important features like scrolling capture, web-page capture, and image editor. At the same time, tools like Screenpresso and ShareX comes with recording support along with taking & editing screenshots. Hence, download and install Snipaste according to your need. If you want a tool with advanced editing features, better to go for other options.