What started off as a simple screen-grabbing tool has evolved into something powerful and impressive. The Snipping Tool goes from strength to strength, and for Windows Insiders Microsoft has a new option to play with.
The feature is an expansion of Snipping Tool’s screen recording capabilities, this time making it possible to limit recording to a specific window.
The new ability is something that can be put to many uses, such as grabbing videos, creating tutorials about an app, and much more. It helps to reduce the need for some elements of video editing – many people will have found themselves in the position of having to record the entire desktop and then use a third-party tool to trim away unwanted parts of the screen.
Limiting recording to a single window not only helps to eliminate some video editing steps, the new capabilities of Snipping Tool help to reduce the file size of the videos that are produced.
This, as mentioned, is an update to the Snipping Tool app, but it is one that is only being made available – for now, at least – to Windows Insiders on the Beta and Release Preview channels.
In the release notes for the latest builds of Windows 11 in these channels, Microsoft says:
We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool (version 11.2507.14.0 and higher) to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels. In this update, we’re introducing window mode screen recording in Snipping Tool—an easy way to capture activity within a specific app window. To get started, toggle over to the Record option in the capture toolbar and click on the dropdown menu for Recording area to select window mode.
The company goes on to say:
When you select window mode, Snipping Tool will automatically size the recording region to tightly match the app window you choose, making setup quick and precise. Once recording begins, however, the region remains fixed—so if the app moves or gets covered by another window, the recording won’t follow it. This gives you a simple, focused way to record what’s happening in a defined space on your screen, without needing to crop or adjust later.
Microsoft says that it is looking for feedback about these latest changes, inviting users to turn to the Feedback hub for this.