[Tip] Different Ways to Open “Screen Snip & Sketch” in Windows 10
Recently we told you that newer versions of Windows 10 come with a new feature called “Snip & Sketch” or “Screen Snip” which allows users to take screenshots and edit, save, share them using the new built-in app. You can take screenshots in rectangular, free form and full screen format.
This new Screen Snip & Sketch feature can be accessed in Windows 10 using several ways and today in this tutorial, we are going to share all possible ways to launch Screen Snip & Sketch feature in Windows 10.
Advertisement
We’ll talk about hotkeys, command line shortcuts and other available options to access Screen Snip feature in Windows 10.
If you also want to learn how to use Screen Snip feature in Windows 10, following methods will help you:
Table of Contents
METHOD 1: Using Win+Shift+S Hotkey
This is the default keyboard shortcut to launch Screen Snip & Sketch in Windows 10. Just press Win+Shift+S keys together on your keyboard and Windows 10 will launch Screen Snip tool.
The screen will dim and you can take screenshot using the toolbar shown at the top of the screen. Once you take screenshot, Windows 10 will open Snip & Sketch app to edit and save the screenshot.
If you can’t use above mentioned hotkey, you can launch Screen Snip feature by clicking on its Quick Action button present in Action Center. Click on Action Center icon present at the end of the Taskbar (or use WIN+A hotkey) and you’ll see Screen Snip button in Quick Action section.
Advertisement
Click on the button and Windows 10 will launch Screen Snip tool.
METHOD 3: Using Print Screen (PrtScn) Key
You can also assign the good ol’ PrtScn key to directly launch Screen Snip tool in Windows 10. There is an option available in Settings app to use PrtScn key to launch Screen Snip tool.
Following tutorial contains details about assigning PrtScn key to launch Screen Snip in Windows 10:
[Tip] Use “Print Screen” (PrtScn) Key to Take Screenshots Using “Snip & Sketch” App in Windows 10
If you are using a digital pen, you can click the pen tail button to launch Screen Snip tool quickly and easily. You can customize the settings using “Settings -> Devices -> Pen & Windows Ink” page.
METHOD 5: Using Direct Command or Shortcut
If you are a tech savvy user and want to launch Screen Snip using command line or direct shortcut, you can use following command to open Screen Snip tool in Windows 10:
explorer ms-screenclip:
You can use this command in RUN dialog box, search box, Command Prompt or anywhere else to directly launch Scree Snip tool in Windows 10.
You can also create a direct shortcut using the above mentioned command and put it on Desktop or pin to Taskbar or Start Menu to open Screen Snip tool any time you want.
Also Check:
[Tip] Use “Win+Alt+PrtScn” Hotkey to Take Program Screenshots in Windows 10
[FIX] Screen Won’t Dim When You Press Win+PrtScn keys to Save Screenshots in Windows 8 or Later
[Tip] How to Change or Reset Screenshot Index Counter in Windows 8 and Later
Yes, but after you take your screenshot, where does it GO? Does not appear in any directory (nor is there an option to chose one); and, if instead. it’s on the clipboard, how do you get it OFF the clipboard. Hitting paste or control-V does nothing?
^^ The screenshot is copied to clipboard. Once you take screenshot, Windows shows a notification, click on the notification and it’ll open Snip & Sketch app. Now you can save the screenshot at your desired location.
I also tried pasting screenshot in MS Paint and it worked.
No notification on mine.
Also I tried pasting in this comment box but nothing happened altho ‘Paste’ is active in the menu.
One can paste in WordPad but not in NotePad I found.
The Win + A worked OK the first time I tried it but now only shows Tablet Mode Connect Network All Settings. Clicking on the last does not reveal Quick Action.
So I’m back on just Win+Shift+S
Should have said my OS version – Win 10 1809 17763 557 if that makes a difference.
^^ The tutorial was written on the same Windows 10 version as you mentioned.
When I use the “winkey+shift+s” snip shortcut key combo and drag over the snip it is auto saved and nothing tells me where is was saved. I assumed the snip was saved to the clipboard. I found in snip & sketch “settings”, a place to turn off auto copy to clipboard, and turn on save snips to prompt. But when I adjusted these settings as indicated it did not work. My snip was still saved to Clip Board, and I was not prompted for a “save as”. If I open “Paint” I can past the snip into it.
I never get any notification as VG mentioned.
My solution was to place a Shortcut to “snip & Sketch” on the task-bar and assign a keyboard shortcut to it of “ctrl+alt+s” Now if I want to do a snip & sketch it is as easy as clicking on the shortcut or doing the “ctrl+alt+s”
For METHOD 5: Using Direct Command or Shortcut, how can I get the Snip & Sketch icon to use with the shortcut that I created using “explorer ms-screenclip:”?
Method 5 is very helpful.
I’m just wondering if there’s a command for taking a screenshot and having it automatically saved as a file? My WinKey isn’t working anymore so I have to find an alternative for WinKey+PrtScr. I tried assigning PrtScr to OneDrive but I figured it won’t work when I’m not online.
The screenshot is copied to clipboard. Once you take screenshot, Windows shows a clipboard notification, and if you click on the notification it’ll open clipboard so you can mark up the screenshot and then save the screenshot at your desired location. HOWEVER, this clipboard notification feature will arbitrarily quit working. You will see a number of posted “fixes” but none of them work in every situation. Basically it’s a recurring software glitch that Microsoft refuses to address.
How do I get my PrtSc key to work on it’s on once again?
My PrtSc key used to work alone as in I did not need to press any other key combinations (e.g. win +prtsc). Pressing the PrtSc key, screenshots saved automatically to a designated Box folder. This has been the case for the past few years until yesterday.
As I took a screenshot yesterday, a OneDrive dialog box popped up. I deactivated to autosave to Onedrive BUT since doing that, the PrtSc autosave to folder no longer works. I have to either go into Paint or doc to paste.
ALL of the information online points at doing the same steps of using Win+PrtSc but it defeats the purpose of simply pressing one key that used to work perfectly fine.
Any ideas on how to get this to work again?
^^ If you press PrtScn key, it’ll copy the screenshot to clipboard and you’ll need to paste it manually in a photo editing app such as Paint, Photoshop, etc. It’s the default behavior of PrtScn key since the beginning.
Using WIN+PrtScn key combination, you can auto save the screenshot to Pictures folder.
If you were able to auto save the screenshot using PrtScn key only, it might be a feature of a 3rd party software.
I promise, no third party. I hit PrtSc and the screenshot saved directly to the screenshot folder in Box (which I moved from my PCs picture folder). I have managed to do this in the past without a problem first Dropbox and then Box. No need to hit a combination of keys.
The only thing that changed a couple of days ago what OneDrive window prompt taking over. I unchecked the option and haven’t been able to get the PrtSc to work again.
After snipping my image, i get the windows 10 notification on the lower right corner.
Clicking it launches the Snip & Sketch application.
But in few seconds, it also launches another application (Snagit Editor) that i have installed on my laptop.
I have tried a lot but am not able to disable the launching of the Snagit Editor application.
Any guidance would be of great help.
^^ Check the software settings. There must be an option to disable this behavior.
Hi This is a typical Microsoft effort at a decent app which fails. The most basic feature for a busy user is to snip something and be able to save the snip to a folder. All of above DOES NOT FACILITATE THIS SIMPLE OPERATION. No disrespect but I strip out all their junk as soon as I am able. If you ask them to facilitate a solution you are ignored, and I kid you not, for frikken decades if ever with solution provided.