Microsoft's Snipping Tool on Windows 11 is a handy way to capture specific screenshots on your PC, and it's now getting an upgrade to make copying text from images way easier.
In a blog post published this week Microsoft announced it's rolling out an update to its Snipping Tool, adding a new Text Extractor feature that allows Windows 11 users to capture and copy text on images or anywhere on screen without needing to take a screenshot.
This especially comes in handy when there are words you want to copy from an image, and the update reduces the number of steps it takes to do so. Moreover, as well as being able to manually select the text you want to copy, there's a “Copy all text” button that immediately copies all the text it detects in the selected region.
How to use Text Extractor in the Snipping Tool
If you're looking to try it out yourself, you'll first need to join the Windows Insider Program in the Dev Channel. You can do this by heading to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program, then clicking Get Started.
Once done, simply follow the steps below:
- Open the Snipping Tool by pressing Win + Shift + S or searching for "Snipping Tool" in the search bar and opening the app.
- On the Snipping Tool toolbar, select the "Text Extractor" icon (the rectangular snippet).
- Select the region you want to copy text from.
- Copy text or select "Copy all text."
There you have it. If you're not in the Dev or Canary Channels, then you'll likely have to wait a while before it arrives in a Windows 11 update.
For those after more handy features so you can become a master of your PC, check out these 15 Windows 11 tips you should know.
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