Windows 10 is finally getting an improved screenshot tool

Microsoft is testing a new update to Windows 10 this week, which will include a new screenshot experience for the upcoming major update. While third-party apps like ShareX and Lightshot have been leading the way in taking screenshots on Windows 10, Microsoft has finally recognized that Windows 10 users want a better way to take screenshots and share them.

Screen Sketch, previously bundled with the Windows Ink feature of Windows 10, is now being made into a separate app that can take screenshots and provide options to annotate them. Microsoft has experimented with a variety of screen snipping tools over the years, but a new winkey + shift + S keyboard shortcut will now bring up an area select tool to snip a screenshot and share it instantly from the clipboard. The app will also trigger a notification so you can annotate the screenshot and share it. You can also replace the print screen button on a keyboard with this feature, making the button a lot more useful than today’s winkey + printscreen combo.

Screenshot notification

Alongside the new screenshot tool, Microsoft is also tweaking its Fluent Design in this new build (17661). The Task View area of the Windows 10 Timeline feature now has a soft blur effect to match other effects added in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Focus Assist, a feature that suppresses notifications, will also now automatically enable when you’re playing any fullscreen game. Microsoft is also adding more of its legacy Control Panel sound features to the main settings app in Windows 10, and improving its High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) support in File Explorer.

We’re expecting to Microsoft to further detail its plans for this major Windows 10 update, codenamed Redstone 5, at the company’s Build developer conference next week. Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore will be holding a keynote on Tuesday, and he’s now in charge of the “experiences” that Windows provides.