10 Free Snipping Tools for Mac, Windows PC & Chromebook

Snipping tools are utility softwares or applications that allow you to capture screenshots of your computer screen. With a snipping tool, you can select a portion of your screen, such as a window, a specific area, or the entire screen, and capture it as an image or video. Snipping tools often include features such as annotation, cropping, and sharing options, making it easy to customize and distribute your captured content. Snipping tools are available for both Windows and Mac operating systems and are useful for a variety of purposes, including sharing stories, videos, recipes, and more.

While photographers often focus on capturing and editing epic portraits and landscapes, it’s important not to overlook the power of screenshots. Using visuals can help better communicate ideas when writing emails, designing PDFs, or giving presentations.

If you are looking for the best snipping tools out there for capturing and customizing screenshots, this article is for you. We have compiled a list of the best snipping tools for Mac and Windows PC that not only allow you to capture screenshots and images on both Mac and PC, but make it easy to annotate, edit, and share screenshots. Whether you want to save a portion of a webpage, capture a funny meme, or document an error message.

Why Use the Snipping Tools on a PC?

Snipping tool is a great tool for anyone who needs to capture screenshots on their PC on a regular basis. Whether you’re a student, a professional, content creators, SEOs (when it comes to image optimization) or just someone who likes to take screenshots for fun, the snipping tool is definitely worth checking out.

• The snipping tool is a useful tool that allows you to capture screenshots on your PC. 
• It’s particularly handy for capturing specific portions of your screen, rather than the entire screen.
• Snipping softwares can be useful in a variety of situations, such as when you want to capture a specific image or text from a web page or document.
• Using a snipping application is also generally quicker and more efficient than taking a screenshot of the entire screen and then cropping it down to the desired size.
• Snipping tools are more precise, allowing you to capture exactly what you need without any unnecessary clutter.

Best Snipping Tools for Mac and PC

Below, we have compiled a list of the most common, popularly used snipping softwares:

1. Snagit:

Snagit is a popular snipping tool for clear communication that allows you to capture anything on your screen, from images to text, and even videos. It helps in sharing information in a way that’s easy to understand. With Snagit, capturing your screen and camera, adding additional context becomes a lot easier. You can also edit and annotate your captures with ease.

Snagit is amazing screenshot app for pc and has been one of the most popular Windows snipping applications for a long time. It’s also a well-known snipping utility for Macs

Snagit stands out when it comes to screenshots and manipulating photographs.

Features/Benefits of using Snagit

• Snagit is more than taking screenshots.
• It has Shapes, callouts, & arrows used to enhance the screenshot.
• Easy to use
• Saves times 
• Easy video-recording tool for Windows (7, 8, 10, and XP)
• All-in-one capturing, scrolling the screen, and grabbing text is also supported.

2. Lightshot

Lightshot is another snipping tool that lets you capture screenshots, edit, and add annotations. It Comes with a user-friendly interface and intuitive editing experience.

Lightshot can be used to snip or capture anything on Mac and Windows. The built-in editor allows you to adjust, enhance, and annotate your captures with ease before you save or share them to anyone online.

Features/Benefits:

• Capture images in only 2 clicks.
• Ability to share screenshots online
• Similar image search online
• Fast screenshot of selected area
• Easy to use with powerful and intuitive editing experience
• Built-in editor with various editing tools.
• Works on both Windows and Mac PC.

3. Greenshot

Looking for a free and open-source snipping tool for Windows that allows you to capture screenshots, edit them, and even share them online? Consider Greenshot. Greenshot is a light-weight screenshot tool for Windows with the following key features.

Features/Benefits:

• Ability to quickly create screenshots of a selected area of your windows or fullscreen; you can even capture complete (scrolling) web pages from Internet Explorer.
• Easily annotate, highlight or obfuscate parts of the screenshot.
• Export the screenshot in various ways (save to file, send to printer, copy to clipboard, attach to email, send Office programs or upload to photo sites like Flickr or Picasa, and others).

Easy to set up and use; it is designed to suit project managers, software developers, technical writers, testers and anyone else creating screenshots.

4. Skitch

This is a snipping tool that’s designed for Mac users. It allows you to capture screenshots, annotate them, and even share them with others. Skitch is a software application that allows users to capture and annotate screenshots. It was developed by Evernote Corporation and is available for macOS, iOS, and Android devices. The term “skitch” is a slang term that means to hitch a ride on the back of a vehicle, which is similar to the way users can capture and annotate screenshots with the Skitch app.

Features/Benefits

• The application allows users to capture screenshots of their computer or mobile device screens.
• add annotations such as text, arrows, and shapes to the image useful for highlighting important information or pointing out specific details in a screenshot. 
• Skitch also allows users to share their annotated screenshots with others via email, social media, or other messaging platforms.
• Skitch uses a technology called optical character recognition (OCR) to recognize text in screenshots and make it searchable. This means that users can easily find specific information within their annotated screenshots by searching for keywords.

5. Snip & Sketch

This is a built-in snipping tool for Windows 10 users. It allows you to capture screenshots and add annotations, and it’s easy to use. Snip & Sketch is a handy utility for screen capture. 

• Snip & Sketch is a simple to use screen capture software that allows you to quickly and easily capture the entire screen or any other part of your computer.
• Snip & Sketch is a free snipping tool that lets you take screenshots of the entire or part of a webpage.
• Ability to save the screenshot to your computer, upload it to the web, or even print it.
• The tool allows you to add text to your screenshot, and even set a background image.
• It comes with a good user interface and it is very easy to use.
• It is not necessary to have a specific version of Windows or Internet Explorer.
• Snip & Sketch also offers a web version in addition to the desktop application.
• The tool is a convenient way to share your screenshots with an online community.

6. Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder

This is a free popular snipping tool used by millions of people. It allows you to capture screenshots (full web page or any part you want) and record videos, edit, add annotations, and share your captures with anyone on the internet.

Features/Benefits

• Screen capture whole or partial screenshots on any size of screen.
• Powerful image editor and screenshot tool to annotate and edit screenshots and screen casts.
• Record video from your screen and webcam using the video recorder.
• Trim and Crop screencasts.
• Change or edit background color, text color, etc. to make your simple images and captures more colorful and memorable.
• Convert video to gif and mp4 within the video recorder (screen recorder).
• Quickly upload and share online screenshots and screencasts using the capture tool.

7. Monosnap

Monosnap is a free snipping tool that’s designed for Mac users. It allows you to capture screenshots, annotate them, and even record videos.

Features/Benefits

• Capture screenshots & videos–capture fullscreen, area or window.
• Create pixel perfect screenshots with hotkeys.
• Record videos or .GIFs.
• Edit & add annotations, highlight details and hide sensitive data with the Blurring tool
• Upload to Monosnap Сloud Storage or integrate services that your team already uses into your workflow such as DigitalOcean Spaces, AWS Amazon S3, S3-Compatible storages, Google Drive, and Dropbox.

8. PicPick

PicPick is a full-featured screen capture (snipping) and recording tool that’s designed for Windows users. It offers an intuitive image editor in addition to color picker, color palette, pixel-ruler, protractor, crosshair, and whiteboard–allowing you to capture screenshots, edit them, and even share them with others.

Picpick is one of the best screenshot (lightshot) apps for pc. Picpick has been nicknamed the “Swiss Army knife” in the hands of Windows users especially, graphic designers or computer programmers.

Features/Benefits

• All-in-one design tool: Full-featured screen capture and recording tool, Intuitive image editor, color picker, color palette, pixel-ruler, protractor, crosshair, whiteboard and more.
• Special effects and graphical tools.

9. Snappy

Snappy (Snap for short) is a snipping tool that’s designed for Mac, iPhone and iPads users and Windows (coming soon) users. The tool allows you to capture screenshots, annotate them, and even share them with others.

Snappy’s Features/Benefits

• Snappy is perfect for clipping stuff from your screen, visual note taking, reference information between windows.
• Collection of pieces of content (snaps), which are securely stored on your computer and neatly organized.
• Ability to keep track of your snapshots, while keeping your desktop clean.
• Annotate, resize, change opacity and more.
• Sharing a snap is simple, secure and fast.
• SnappyLink–a unique URL to share around, visible on all devices.
• Set a password for your shared snap and/or set a self-destruct timer on it.

10. Screenshot Captor

Screenshot Captor is one of the widely used screenshot apps available for both Mac and Windows users This snipping tool is free and comes with editing, annotating, capturing, and sharing screenshots. It uses the Print Screen (PrtScn) button, which produces a shutter sound upon clicking, opening up a dialogue window with options for taking a screenshot and saving it. When you choose “Save Image and Show,” the screen recorder will open up a variety of editing options.

Features/Benefits of Screenshot Captor

• Scanner image correction and a complete collection of scanning tools
• Support for multiple monitors.
• Provides a toolbar with a variety of choices for capturing.
• Capturing options like desktop mode, active window, region and the window object are all available.

How do I use the built-in snipping tool on my Macbook?

To use a snipping tool on a MacBook, you can use the built-in screenshot tool.

• To take a screenshot of a specific area, press Command + Shift + 4.
• This will change your cursor to a crosshair. 
• Click and drag your cursor over the area you want to capture, and release the mouse button.
• The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
• If you want to take a screenshot of the entire screen, press Command + Shift + 3.
• The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
• If you want to take a screenshot of a specific window, press Command + Shift + 4, then press the Spacebar.
• Your cursor will change to a camera icon. Move the camera icon over the window you want to capture, and click. 
• The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.

You can also use the Preview app to take screenshots.

• Open Preview, then go to File > Take Screenshot. 
• You can choose to capture the entire screen, a specific window, or a selected area.
• Once you have taken a screenshot, you can use Preview to edit it.
• Open the screenshot in Preview, then go to Tools > Annotate.
• You can add text, shapes, and other annotations to the screenshot.

Overall, taking screenshots on a MacBook is easy and convenient with the built-in snipping tools.

How do I use the built-in snipping tool on my Windows?

To use the snipping tool on your Windows, you can follow these simple steps.

• First, click on the Start menu and search for “Snipping Tool.” 
• Once you find it, click on it to open the tool. 
• Next, select the type of snip you want to take, such as a rectangular snip or a free-form snip. 
• Then, click and drag the cursor around the area you want to capture. 
• Finally, save the snip as an image file or copy and paste it into another program.

With the snipping tool, you can easily capture and share screenshots of anything on your Windows screen.

How to access the snipping tool on Chromebook?

The default snip tool is included with Chromebooks. You can use it without downloading any extensions, apps, or other third-party software because it is already included in your Chromebook. And it performs flawlessly.

It offers all the essential functions you need to crop a screenshot of a portion of anything on your screen.

Additionally, you may record your screen while taking full screenshots, save the screencaps, and paste them elsewhere. All of this can be done without downloading anything.

• When taking a single page screenshot, press “CTRL + Show Windows,” while taking a selective screenshot, press “SHIFT + CTRL + Show Windows.”
• Click and drag your cursor to select what you want to screenshot when you activate the tool by using the shortcut or app while holding down the SHIFT key.
• In essence, this is a rectangle with dotted lines around it. The screen dims and receives a dark gray overlay to indicate that you are in picture mode.
• The cropping area can be changed whatever you like–take a full or partial screenshot.
• The area inside the rectangular object’s captured outline can be saved as an image for sharing or uploading. The alternative is to copy it to your clipboard and swiftly paste it.

Conclusion

For most people, the in-built snipping tool in Windows, Mac, and Chromebook can be more than enough for everyday use. But if you want more advance functionality that are not present on your PC operating systems, you can consider any of the above mentioned tools to capture screenshots; anotate, edit, collaborate on visual projects, and even share across the internet. These tools provides chrome extensions to allow you capture any desired area of a web page and share across to your teams, clients, or report errors on web pages to site admin.