Windows 11 Screenshot Tool Lets You Scan QR Codes
Microsoft is updating the Windows 11 Snipping tool , which is the platform’s default option for capturing and annotating screenshots. You’ll soon be able to use Snipping Tool to scan QR codes on screenshots, finally giving you an easy way to use them on PC. You’ll also be able to use Windows 11 emoji to annotate screenshots. These new features are currently rolling out to Windows Insiders and will be available in Snipping Tool version 11.2404.37.0 and later.
Scanning QR codes using scissors Windows 11
Scanning QR codes using Windows 11’s scissors will be quite easy. Simply take a screenshot, open it in the Snipping Tool’s markup canvas (the preview where you annotate the screenshots), and click the Text Actions button in the top bar. It is located to the right of the “Crop” button. The Snipping Tool will detect the link in the QR code and prompt you to copy or open it.
It’s worth noting that the ability to scan QR codes has been present in ShareX, my favorite Windows screenshot tool, for quite some time. While I like ShareX, which is free and ad-free, setting it up can be a little complicated. Now you can use QR codes in Windows right out of the box.
Comment with emoticons
To add emoji to the Snipping Tool, you need to follow two steps. First, open any screenshot of the Snipping Tool’s layout canvas and click the Shapes button (the icon looks like an overlapping square and circle). Then tap the emoji icon, select the emoji you want and place it on the screenshot.
Other new scissor features
The upcoming Snipping Tool update will bring back the ruler. Just press Ctrl-R to switch the ruler in this application. You can now also change the opacity of the shape’s fill and outline colors.
How to Access Snipping Tools in Windows 11
There are two main ways to access the scissors. The first is to use the search bar on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen to search for an application. Alternatively, you can use the Windows-Shift-S keyboard shortcut to immediately take a screenshot using Snipping Tool .
When will I get these new scissor features?
You can expect QR code scanning and other new Snipping Tool features to come to you in the coming months. For now, they are only featured on the Windows Insider Dev and Canary channels, which have much more experimental features than stable builds. They will eventually make their way to the Windows Insider Build Preview channel and then finally be released to the general public. If you’re eager to try out these new features, you can join the Windows Insider program , but be prepared to encounter some bugs and general instability.
Microsoft Paint AI gets a new coat of paint
A few months ago, Microsoft introduced artificial intelligence to Paint. The humble application that has been a part of Windows for decades now lets you use DALL-E to input what you want to create , and generates images accordingly. This feature was called Paint Cocreator, but Microsoft is now renaming it Image Creator. The change applies to Paint version 11.2404.42.0 and later. This is just a name change: the function works exactly the same as before.