On Windows 11, you can use the Snipping Tool to hide (redact) sensitive information before sharing a screenshot with other people, and in this guide, you will learn how.
Snipping Tool includes the “Text Actions” feature that can detect text on screenshots and take different actions, including the ability to hide sensitive information (specific text, emails, and phone numbers), and since the app features OCR (Optical Character Recognition) support technology, it’s also possible to extract text from screenshots.
This guide will teach you the steps to redact content and extract text from screenshots in the latest version of the Snipping Tool.
Redact text on screenshots with Snipping Tool
To hide sensitive information before sharing a screenshot with Snipping Tool, use these steps:
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Open Snipping Tool on Windows 11.
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Click the Snip button.
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Click the New button.
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Choose the snipping mode.
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Capture the screenshot on Windows 11.
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Click the “Text actions” button in the command bar.
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Select the text to hide, right-click the selection, and choose the “Redact text” option.
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Click the Quick redact button to hide emails and phones automatically.
Quick tip: The menu also offers the option to hide only emails or phones. -
(Optional) Click the “Text actions” button in the command bar.
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Open the menu next to the Quick redact option and choose the “Remove all redactions” option to unhide the text.
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Click the Save button.
Once you complete the steps, the Snipping Tool will hide the contents from the screenshot.
Extract text from screenshots with Snipping Tool
To extract text from screenshots from Snipping Tool, use these steps:
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Open Snipping Tool on Windows 11.
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Click the Snip button.
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Click the New button.
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Choose the snipping mode.
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Capture the screenshot on Windows 11.
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Select the text, right-click the selection, and choose the “Copy text” option.
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(Optional) Click the “Text actions” button and choose the “Copy all text” option to extract all the text from the screenshot image.
After you complete the steps, you can paste the text of the screenshot to any document, text file, online post, etc.
Although extracting text from images is new to the Snipping Tool, the feature isn’t completely new to Windows 11 since other applications, such as PowerToys, also offer a tool to extract text from anything on the screen without having to take a screenshot first.
At the time of this writing, Microsoft is still testing these features in the latest preview of the Snipping Tool app, and it’s only available for devices enrolled in the Dev and Canary Channels of the Windows Insider Program.
Furthermore, as part of this release, the Phone Link app has been updated to give you access and edit photos from your Android phone directly in the Snipping Tool.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].