14 DAY TRIAL // The latest Windows 10 Redstone 5 preview build comes with a notification revealing that Snipping Tool would go away, with Microsoft asking users to switch to Screen Sketch instead.
When launching Snipping Tool, users are greeted with a message indicating that the app “will be removed in a future update.” On the other hand, users should “try improved features and snip like usual with Screen Sketch.”
Microsoft doesn’t provide any specifics as to when Snipping Tool would go away, but the company wants this to happen slowly, as the user base of this little app is apparently huge. “We are not planning to remove the Snipping Tool in the next update to Windows 10 and the consolidation work underway will be a feedback and data-driven decision,” Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider program, says.
The Redstone 5 update for Windows 10 is projected to land in the fall after being finalized in September, followed by another feature release in the spring of 2019.
Screen Sketch in Windows 10
Screen Sketch is a new Windows 10 app available in the Microsoft Store that makes it possible to capture screenshots with all the tools bundled into Snipping Tool with a modern UI and extra features. Screen Sketch also supports pens, and it allows users to start a snip by simply clicking the back of the stylus.
On the other hand, the app is only available for Redstone 5 users, and is currently integrated in preview builds only. More details about it can be found in the official Microsoft Store listing here.
Snipping Tool debuted in Windows Vista after previously being part of the Experience Pack aimed at Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. It saw daylight in November 2002 when Microsoft launched the Snipping Tool as a PowerToy developed for the Microsoft Tablet PC.
The most recent update it received was included in Windows 10 when Snipping Tool got a delay option for taking screenshots after a user-defined time.