Microsoft is working on some new features for Snipping Tool, Windows 11"s default app for screen recording and taking screenshots. Following the addition of screen recording and optical image recognition (OCR), the company is about to introduce the ability to add basic shapes to your screenshots.
The feature was spotted by the ever-giving source of insights into Windows 11 preview builds, @PhantomOfEarth. He managed to unearth the Snipping Tool"s shape features by messing around with the system"s internals. Sadly, the updated app is not rolling out to Windows Insiders, so getting it to work requires more software magic than just installing the latest update or enabling a command. Still, the published video gives plenty of info on what is about to come.
Coming soon to Snipping Tool: you will be able to add shapes such as circles and arrows to images you are editing! pic.twitter.com/JaEGsSERhQ
— PhantomOcean3 ☃️ (@PhantomOfEarth) January 17, 2024
According to a post on X, a future Snipping Tool update will let you add shapes like squares, circles, lines, and arrows, change their colors, and turn the shape fill on or off. You will also be able to customize outlines with thickness and color options.
The ability to add shapes to screenshots will make Snipping Tool a much more appealing alternative to well-established apps for taking screenshots, such as ShareX or Snagit. Also, it is good to see a feature in the works that is not all about AI (I am looking at you, Cowriter in Notepad).
Microsoft has not announced the updated Snipping Tool app with shapes support, but @PhantomOfEarth claims the feature is already working well in version 11.2312.33.0 (the latest release for Insiders). Therefore, you can expect the company to unveil it to Windows Insiders somewhere soon, maybe alongside the next Windows 11 preview build.