Microsoft is bringing a major workflow improvement to the Snipping Tool: a new “Quick markup” mode that lets you annotate screenshots before they're captured, plus simultaneous updates to Paint and Notepad that push these long-neglected utilities toward more advanced, productivity-focused use cases.
Windows inbox apps have been steadily evolving from tiny utilities into full-featured productivity tools. The recent update introduces Quick markup to the Snipping Tool on the Dev and Canary channels, along with substantive changes to Paint (project files and brush opacity) and Notepad (AI-powered Summarize, Write, and Rewrite on Copilot+ PCs). These changes are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in testing channels and are being trialed as Microsoft evaluates stability and feedback before a wider release.
The update represents a deliberate shift: Microsoft is reducing basic friction in common tasks—capture, annotate, edit—so users can complete visual and textual workflows without jumping between multiple apps. That approach echoes long-standing third-party utilities but folds those conveniences into Windows’ default toolkit.
There are a few points where public reports diverge or warrant caution:
For Microsoft, this serves multiple goals:
The feature set improves day-to-day workflows for many users without requiring third-party installs. However, privacy, entitlement complexity, and channel fragmentation are real concerns that merit attention. Users who depend on predictable behavior—IT admins, privacy-sensitive professionals, and power users—should pilot the updates in controlled environments and confirm how cloud integrations are configured in their systems.
Overall, this release signals a thoughtful iteration: Microsoft is listening to how people actually use Windows and is integrating higher-value functionality into default tools. The result should be faster, cleaner workflows for many users—provided they pay attention to the cloud paths and account entitlements that accompany these new conveniences.
Source: xda-developers.com The Windows 11 Snipping Tool is getting a killer time-saving feature
Windows inbox apps have been steadily evolving from tiny utilities into full-featured productivity tools. The recent update introduces Quick markup to the Snipping Tool on the Dev and Canary channels, along with substantive changes to Paint (project files and brush opacity) and Notepad (AI-powered Summarize, Write, and Rewrite on Copilot+ PCs). These changes are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders in testing channels and are being trialed as Microsoft evaluates stability and feedback before a wider release.The update represents a deliberate shift: Microsoft is reducing basic friction in common tasks—capture, annotate, edit—so users can complete visual and textual workflows without jumping between multiple apps. That approach echoes long-standing third-party utilities but folds those conveniences into Windows’ default toolkit.
What Quick Markup does (overview)
Quick markup changes a single, crucial step in the screenshot workflow: instead of taking a screenshot, saving it, opening an editor, and then annotating, you can now:- Invoke the snip interface with Win + Shift + S (or launch Snipping Tool directly).
- Toggle Quick markup from the capture toolbar or press Ctrl + E to enable annotation mode before finalizing the capture.
- Use pen, highlighter, eraser, shapes, and emojis inside the selection area to make edits on-the-fly.
- Re-crop or adjust the selection with grab handles before saving.
- Use integrated actions such as Share, Visual Search, or Ask Copilot directly from the selection area; note that selecting these will bypass automatic clipboard copy or autosave for the image.
Why it matters
- Time saved: For users who annotate frequently—support agents, documentation writers, quick bug reports—this removes the repetitive open-edit-save cycle.
- Lower friction: Casual users who previously deferred or skipped annotations because the process felt clunky will be more likely to mark up images immediately.
- Closer parity with third-party tools: ShareX and similar utilities have offered pre-capture annotation for years; baking that into Snipping Tool reduces the need to install and configure extra software for many users.
Technical specifics and how to use Quick Markup
- Press Win + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool capture overlay.
- In the capture toolbar, click the Quick markup button or press Ctrl + E to toggle it on.
- Draw a selection around the area you want to capture.
- While the selection is still active, use the Quick markup tools that appear in the selection area:
- Pen and Highlighter for freehand annotation.
- Eraser to remove strokes.
- Shapes and emojis for emphasis.
- Grab handles around the selection to re-crop before finalizing.
- Once edits are complete, click Save, Copy, Share, or use Visual Search / Ask Copilot from the toolbar.
- Using Share, Visual Search, or Ask Copilot from Quick markup will not auto-copy the image to the clipboard or autosave it; these paths are intentionally designed to route content to cloud services or share targets.
- Quick markup annotations are applied directly in the selection overlay and become part of the final captured image.
Paint and Notepad: the companion updates
The update bundle also modernizes Paint and Notepad, signaling Microsoft’s intent to make those apps genuinely useful rather than nostalgic curiosities.Paint: project files and brush opacity
Paint gains two practical features that change how it fits into creative workflows:- Project (.paint) files — you can now save editable Paint project files so work can be resumed later with layers/styles preserved. This turns Paint from a purely flat-image tool into a basic project-based editor for quick edits and mockups.
- Brush opacity slider — the Pencil and Brush tools now include an opacity slider, enabling semi-transparent strokes and smoother blends without resorting to external editors.
Notepad: local and cloud AI tools on Copilot+ PCs
Notepad receives AI features labeled Summarize, Write, and Rewrite that operate on Copilot+ PCs. Core behaviors to note:- On Copilot+ hardware, Microsoft exposes these AI tools with local model support, and the company indicates they are available without a paid subscription for Copilot+ PCs.
- If a user has a subscription or wants cloud-quality results, Notepad can switch between local and cloud models (when signed in).
- For now, AI features are English-only and subject to the availability of Copilot services on the device.
Cross-checking the claims and limitations
The updates are targeted at the Canary and Dev channels—the experimental release tracks—so they are not immediately available to the broad Windows 11 user base. Reported version identifiers and feature notes correspond to the initial rollout for insiders; users on Stable/Release channels should not expect these features until Microsoft finishes testing and expands the release.There are a few points where public reports diverge or warrant caution:
- Notepad AI and Copilot features have complex licensing and dependency details. While Microsoft’s preview notes emphasize local-model availability on Copilot+ PCs with no subscription required, other reports and earlier rollouts of AI features have at times tied cloud-quality capabilities to Microsoft 365 or Copilot subscriptions. This suggests a mixed model: local AI features may be free on qualifying hardware, whereas higher-capacity cloud-based features or cross-device continuity may still require a subscription. Treat any blanket statements about “no subscription anywhere” with caution until official broad-release documentation clarifies entitlement boundaries.
- Enterprise deployments and privacy-conscious users should verify how image data and text sent to Visual Search or Copilot are handled. Using Share, Visual Search, or Copilot typically involves cloud services; policy and telemetry implications differ from a purely local clipboard copy.
Strengths: what this update gets right
- Significant UX improvement: Pre-capture annotation removes friction in a genuinely useful, repeatable task. For many users this will feel like a direct productivity boost.
- Smart integration: Tying Quick markup to the Snipping Tool capture flow keeps the UI simple and focused. The inclusion of shapes, highlighters, and a quick eraser covers most on-the-spot needs.
- Continuity with Windows Copilot ecosystem: The ability to route captured content into Visual Search or Ask Copilot opens creative and research workflows that previously required multiple copy-paste operations.
- Practical Paint upgrades: Project files and brush opacity make Paint usable for longer-term or layered edits, positioning it as an approachable mid-tier editor for quick jobs.
- Notepad’s AI features for quick writing tasks: Summarize/Rewrite/Write offer immediate value for drafting emails, cleaning notes, or generating short-form text without leaving a lightweight editor.
Risks, gaps, and things to watch
- Privacy and data-handling concerns: When using Visual Search or Copilot integrations, images and text may be sent to cloud services. Organizations and privacy-conscious users should audit how data is routed and logged. There may be differences between local-model operations and cloud-backed features.
- Confusing entitlement model: The Copilot+ designation, local vs. cloud model switch, and subscription mentions create a potentially confusing user experience. Users could expect free AI up to a point and then find features gated by subscriptions or hardware requirements.
- Discoverability and accessibility: Quick markup is a new toggle in the capture toolbar. Less technical users may not notice it; discoverability in the keyboard-driven capture flow might require additional onboarding or tooltips.
- Clipboard behavior and workflow friction: Quick markup’s “special” handling when using Share/Visual Search/Ask Copilot—where the image is not auto-copied to the clipboard or autosaved—can trip users who expect the old clipboard-first behavior. This design choice necessitates clear UI feedback.
- Feature fragmentation across release channels: Since the update is limited to Dev/Canary channels initially, mainstream users will experience inconsistency across devices. IT administrators and power users should be prepared for mixed environments in the short term.
- Limited editing parity with third-party tools: Although Quick markup adds convenience, it does not supplant advanced features found in tools like ShareX, Greenshot, or dedicated image editors (e.g., layers, advanced selection tools, OCR export). Power users will still need third-party tools for complex tasks.
- Potential for subtle bugs: Clipboard timing issues and capture delays have been reported in the past, and these kinds of workflow-changing updates can surface new edge cases—especially when combined with multiple input devices, remote desktops, or virtual machines.
Practical recommendations and best practices
- For individual power users who rely on screenshots and light annotation, enable the Dev/Canary builds only if you are comfortable with test-channel instability. Quick markup will meaningfully reduce time per screenshot.
- If you handle sensitive content, avoid using Visual Search or Ask Copilot directly from Quick markup unless you have reviewed your organization’s data handling policies. Use the Save/Copy route to keep content local when necessary.
- Teams and IT admins should document the change for users: highlight that Quick markup is toggled in the capture toolbar and that Share/Copilot paths bypass clipboard autosave, which affects typical file-transfer workflows.
- Maintain a fallback: keep a favorite third-party tool installed if you require advanced functionality (OCR, automated file naming, different output formats).
- If you see unexpected clipboard delays after installing new Snipping Tool builds, check default app assignments for screen snipping and test alternate capture paths; earlier reports indicate clipboard timing can be sensitive to app defaults and background services.
- For Notepad users exploring AI features, test both the local-model and cloud-model behaviors. If you rely on precise output or large-scale rewriting, verify whether the cloud path requires a subscription in your tenant.
Developer and enterprise considerations
- Administrators should track deployment channels carefully. New features arriving in insider builds can be useful for pilot programs but should not be fast-tracked to broad user populations without testing.
- Compliance teams need to validate how Copilot and Visual Search handle data—encryption in transit, storage retention, model training opt-out, and regional data residency are all relevant questions for enterprise adoption.
- Group Policy and Intune controls will likely follow to enable/disable Copilot features and Snipping Tool integrations; plan for policy updates once Microsoft publishes management guidance for these new behaviors.
- For organizations that standardize on third-party capture tools, weigh the benefit of fewer installed utilities (reducing attack surface) against missing advanced capabilities. In some domains, a single vetted third-party tool with well-understood controls may remain preferable.
Quick comparisons: Snipping Tool vs. ShareX and other tools
- Speed and convenience: With Quick markup, Snipping Tool closes the gap with ShareX for the most common task sets—one-off captures and quick annotations.
- Advanced automation: ShareX still leads for automation, hotkeys tied to upload/paste actions, OCR pipelines, and format conversions.
- Integration with cloud AI: Snipping Tool’s built-in pathways to Visual Search and Copilot are unique and may provide faster access to AI-driven insights, but they rely on Microsoft services and their terms.
- Simplicity vs. power: Snipping Tool’s advantage is simplicity and immediate availability on Windows; ShareX and others remain superior for power users.
How this fits into Microsoft’s broader strategy
The update aligns with a clear trajectory: Microsoft is integrating AI and lightweight editing into core Windows experiences. Instead of forcing users into separate apps or workflows, the company is embedding capabilities where they are most frequently needed—capture, small edits, and quick text generation.For Microsoft, this serves multiple goals:
- Increase engagement with Copilot and related AI services by making them accessible in daily actions.
- Reduce reliance on third-party tools for basic productivity, which simplifies support and user onboarding.
- Provide a path to showcase Copilot’s value proposition and to surface subscription or hardware-tier benefits for more advanced use.
Caveats and unverifiable elements
- Some reporting around entitlement requirements and subscription behavior for Notepad AI features has been inconsistent. The preview messaging emphasizes local-model availability on Copilot+ PCs without subscription, but other channels have reported subscription gating in certain contexts. This discrepancy suggests a mixed model that will be clarified as Microsoft rolls features out more broadly.
- Exact retention and processing policies for images routed to Visual Search or Copilot were not exhaustively documented in the initial rollout notes. Users and administrators should assume cloud-processing and validate policy and telemetry settings before broadly adopting cloud features for sensitive data.
Conclusion
Quick markup in the Snipping Tool is a pragmatic, user-focused enhancement that removes friction from a very common task: capture-and-annotate. Combined with Paint’s new project files and brush opacity and Notepad’s growing set of AI-assisted writing tools, these updates shift Windows’ core utilities from simple, single-purpose tools to more capable productivity helpers.The feature set improves day-to-day workflows for many users without requiring third-party installs. However, privacy, entitlement complexity, and channel fragmentation are real concerns that merit attention. Users who depend on predictable behavior—IT admins, privacy-sensitive professionals, and power users—should pilot the updates in controlled environments and confirm how cloud integrations are configured in their systems.
Overall, this release signals a thoughtful iteration: Microsoft is listening to how people actually use Windows and is integrating higher-value functionality into default tools. The result should be faster, cleaner workflows for many users—provided they pay attention to the cloud paths and account entitlements that accompany these new conveniences.
Source: xda-developers.com The Windows 11 Snipping Tool is getting a killer time-saving feature