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Although Windows' Snipping Tool has improved lately, it still leaves a lot to be desired. I didn’t fully realize how limited it was until I tried ShareX. This free, open-source tool has quickly become my go-to for screen capturing, and I don’t see myself returning to Snipping Tool.
1Various Capture Options
While Snipping Tool only offers basic options for screen capturing—such as rectangular, window, full screen, and freeform captures—ShareXgoes well beyond. One of my favorites is scrolling capture, which lets me capture long web pages or documents.
Another useful option is the ability torecord screen activity as GIFs. I often use this to demonstrate steps or show small interactions in my articles. There’s also the auto-capture function, which I use occasionally. With it, I can set ShareX to take screenshots automatically at specific intervals.
2Convenient Annotation Tools
When it comes to annotating screenshots, Snipping Tool doesn’t offer enough options to meet my needs. Sure, it allows me to add shapes, emojis, and some freehand drawing, but that’s about it.
With ShareX I can add text, speech bubbles, and even step numbers to guide viewers through a screenshot. What I find especially useful is the ability toblur or pixelate parts of an image, which makes it incredibly easy to hide sensitive information.
ShareX also includes a magnification tool, so I can quickly highlight important parts of a screenshot. Having all of these annotation features built into the app means I no longer need to rely on third-party apps to edit my screen captures, as it’s all right there in the same app.
3Image Editing Tools
Beyond simple annotations, ShareX offers plenty of options to refine my screenshots. After capturing something, I can simply right-click on the image and chooseAdd image effectsto add borders, watermarks, or unique backgrounds. It even lets me make adjustments—like cropping, resizing, and scaling—directly within the app.
The best part? I can create and save specific presets for any of these adjustments. So, if I want all my screenshots to have the same crop size or a specific watermark, I can create a preset and apply it without having to manually redo the steps every time.
Another feature I’ve come to rely on is batch editing. If I need to apply the same effects to multiple images, ShareX lets me do that all at once. This is especially useful when I’m working on projects that require a consistent style across several images.
4Automatic Cloud Uploads
One of my favorite things about ShareX is its seamless handling of cloud uploads. It supports various cloud storage services, including Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Mega.
Additionally, if I need to quickly share an image online, I can upload it topopular image-hosting services like Flickr, Imgur, Photobucket, and ImageShack, directly from ShareX.
Setting this up is easy, too—I simply need to head toDestinations > Destination settings, link my accounts, and I’m good to go. After capturing a screenshot or video, I can pressCtrl + Uin the editor window and enjoy the seamless upload process. I can also set captures to automatically upload to different services if I want, as well.
The sheer convenience of this is something the Snipping Tool simply can’t match.
5Keyboard Shortcuts Support
A large part of what makes capturing, editing, and uploading screenshots with ShareX so convenient for me is its extensive support for keyboard shortcuts. With ShareX, I canuse shortcuts to capture my screenin a variety of ways—whether it’s a full-screen capture, a specific region, a scrolling capture, or even screen recording.
I’m not stuck with the default shortcuts; I can customize them to suit my workflow. This is a huge step up from the Snipping Tool, where I had to manually select different options depending on what I wanted to capture.
All in all, ShareX offers far more flexibility, automation, and customization than I ever expected to need in a screen capture app. If you’re still using the Snipping Tool, give ShareX a shot—you might be surprised at how much more productive you can be.
