17 Best Screenshot Tools for Windows [2025]

Looking for a screenshot tool for Windows? Download the Movavi screen capture program:

  • Capture your screen with one click

  • Take scrolling screenshots and draw on them

  • Easily save and share your screenshots

Edited by
Joey Edits
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Key takeaways

  • Windows keeps its old reliable Snipping Tool, and Mac users get by with a few well-placed key presses of their own.
  • I tested a wide mix of screen capture tools for Windows 11 and older versions. Some felt modern and smooth, others a bit stuck in time. The best ones were Movavi Screen Recorder, ShareX, and PicPick – solid in their own ways.
  • Certain apps keep things fast and minimal, others go deep with editing, recording, and sharing options. None of them do everything perfectly, but each has a clear purpose.
  • The smartest pick is the one that matches your routine. Fast notes, visual tutorials, or design work all call for a slightly different setup.
  • Learn your shortcuts and check your captures before saving. A few seconds of attention can turn an average screenshot into something you’re not embarrassed to share.

Taking a screenshot sounds easy until you try to capture one that doesn’t include your messy desktop, seventeen browser tabs, and that one Slack message you’d rather not immortalize. So I spent a week testing every screenshot app for Windows I could get my hands on. Lots of clicking, a few crashes, and more files named Screenshot (58).png than I’d like to admit.

Some tools were surprisingly slick. Others felt like digital fossils from the early 2000s. But a handful actually did their job – fast, clean, and without unnecessary drama. Here’s the shortlist: the screenshot apps that can easily earn a permanent spot on your computer.

My top picks

  • Best overall – Movavi Screen Recorder
    Fast, clear, and simple to use. It captures anything on your screen in great quality and has a built-in editor that just works.
  • Best free option – ShareX
    Packed with features and completely free. It does almost everything paid tools do, just with a steeper learning curve.
  • Best for professionals – Screenpresso
    Clean, reliable, and built for work. Great for quick edits, annotations, and sharing visuals with clients or teammates.
  • Best for teams – MangoApps Recorder
    Perfect for collaboration. It saves screenshots straight into team chats, keeping everyone on the same page.
  • Best for creators – PicPick
    A designer’s favorite. Accurate color tools and easy editing make it ideal for creative projects.
  • Best lightweight tool – FastStone Capture
    Tiny but mighty. Runs fast, takes clean screenshots, and never slows your computer down.

Comparison table: Best free screenshot tools for Windows

Software

Best for

Download

Smooth, all-purpose capturing

Free advanced features

Quick built-in shots

disclaimer_person

Our goal is to provide you with only verified information. To ensure this, Movavi Content Team does the following:

  • When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.

  • The team tests all the products mentioned in this article.

  • When testing, we compare the key characteristics of the products, which include selecting capture area, schedule recording, showing keystrokes and mouse, and other significant features.

  • We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.

  • We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.

Best screenshot apps for Windows

Movavi Screen Recorder, in particular, stands out for its ease of use, high-quality output, and various customization options.

  • Why I liked it:

    it delivers a smooth, high-quality capture experience with an intuitive interface that makes recording effortless.

  • Best for:

    easy screenshots

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

Movavi Screen Recorder is one of the best screenshot program options for those who want to take captures and recordings of a screen.

This screen recorder can capture high-resolution footage from individual parts of your screen and also comes with an editor to trim, crop, and alter the footage. This screenshot app for Windows and Mac captures in Full HD, so you’ll get all the glorious detail even if you are recording in a game. I liked how smooth and intuitive the capture process felt, even when recording longer sessions.

Use a free trial version as a preview and pay for the full version of Movavi Screen Recorder if you are happy with the quality.

Key features:

  • Take informative screenshots: capture a single window, a full web page, or just part of your screen
  • Edit your screenshots – add text, arrows, or frames to highlight what’s important
  • Grab on-screen activity to improve our work process with simple, lightweight recordings
  • Save and share the results with your colleagues to keep your meeting summaries on point

Ratings

Pros:

  • A handy tool to ramp up productivity with digital media capture

  • Taking and editing partial or scrolling screenshots in a snap

  • Smooth performance on any Windows PC

Cons:

  • Only the full version of the program gets you all the means to express your ideas with this software

How to use one of the best screenshot software

Step 1. Download and install the program

Use the button below to download and install Movavi Screen Recorder. Launch the program.

Step 2. Select the screenshotting area

Click the Screenshot icon and drag the capture frame over the desired area.

Step 3. Save the screenshot

Click the Save icon to save the screenshot as a file, or the Copy icon to copy and paste the screenshot. Hit the Editor button to draw on the screenshot and add annotations.

A useful tip: go for tools that include a built-in timer feature. This allows you to capture menus, tooltips, or other fleeting elements that disappear when interacting with your mouse. This feature saved me many times!

  • Why I liked it:

    it offers professional-level flexibility completely free, giving access to advanced tools usually found in paid programs.

  • Best for:

    open-source screenshot and video capture

  • OS:

    Windows

ShareX may be the best free screen capture tool for PC users. It is open source and lets you take screenshots in a variety of ways, including an automatic capture mode. You can choose to save images directly or copy them to the clipboard for quick sharing. The software works on Windows 11 and 10. Versions earlier than Windows 10 are no longer supported starting from ShareX 18. It impressed me with how many advanced features it offers for free, even though the interface felt a bit technical at first.

In the latest program update, the image history system was improved and full-page scrolling screenshot options were enhanced.

Key features:

  • Links to cloud storage easily
  • Basic OCR recognition
  • Capture and upload video or still screenshots

Ratings

4.5/5

Pros:

  • Auto capture setting

  • Regular updates and options to edit the source code

  • Possible to annotate and edit the images

Cons:

  • The interface isn’t as easy to use as some

  • Why I liked it:

    it’s quick, built-in, and dependable for simple screenshots without needing to install anything extra.

  • Best for:

    inbuilt snipping tool

  • OS:

    Windows

Windows Snipping Tool comes inbuilt and provides an easy and free screenshot captor with more functionality than the “Print Screen” command.

The print screen program has some really basic functionality, but if you need to take a full screen screenshot or choose a section of the screen to grab an image without third-party software, it may come in handy. One of the coolest features it offers is the ability to draw a custom shape to snap an image. It seemed surprisingly reliable to me for quick captures, even though it lacks the depth of any dedicated best screenshot tool.

Key features:

  • Snipping and capturing tool
  • Delay option
  • Simple annotation, sharing, and upload

Ratings

Pros:

  • Already installed on Windows devices

  • Easy shortcuts to quickly take a screenshot

Cons:

  • Very limited editing functionality

Free screenshot tools may lack advanced editing options or save screenshots in limited formats like PNG only. Always check if the software supports versatile formats such as JPEG, BMP, or PDF.

  • Why I liked it:

    it combines powerful recording performance with stable screenshot features that work seamlessly for long sessions.

  • Best for:

    all-in-one capture tool

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

Aiseesoft is one of those screen recorders that have additional screenshotting features. However, unlike many others in this group, Aiseesoft is great for both capturing your daily screen activities and recording gameplay with high FPS and almost no effect on CPU. So, if you want a Windows screenshot app for a laptop that lets you capture anything happening on your screen, it’s a great choice. When I tried it, I was surprised by how smoothly it handled long recordings.

Key features:

  • Record gameplay with no quality loss
  • Take instant snapshots with text, shapes, and arrows
  • Add metadata to your videos and screenshots

Ratings

4.7/5

Pros:

  • Simple recording and screenshotting

  • Capturing both screen activities and gameplay

  • Intuitive callouts on screenshots

Cons:

  • The trial version limits the recording time to 3 minutes

Quick summary: Best screenshot tools

  1. Best overall for capturing screenshots and videos: Movavi Screen Recorder

  2. Best free open-source option: ShareX

  3. Best built-in option for Windows: Windows Snipping Tool

Editor’s choice
Movavi Screen Recorder
4.5/5
Aiseesoft Screen Recorder
  • Why I liked it:

    it provides crisp, high-quality captures ideal for gamers who also want smooth streaming capabilities.

  • Best for:

    taking in-game screenshots

  • OS:

    Windows

Action! – Screen and Game Recorder is designed mainly to capture gameplay and stream it to platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Ustream. However, Action! can also be used as a screenshot program for Windows. The images are then accessible through the in-app interface. You can delete those you don’t like and export the ones that are the best. Unfortunately, you cannot edit screenshots in the app. The capture quality seemed excellent to me, but the lack of built-in editing tools felt like a drawback.

Key features:

  • Live-streaming to Twitch and YouTube
  • Simple screenshot file management
  • Capturing screenshots from outside devices

Ratings

4.8/5

Pros:

  • Great at capturing gameplay

  • Lets you organize your screenshots in the app

  • Lets you take screenshots from other devices, e.g. with a capture card

Cons:

  • No screenshot editing features

  • Why I liked it:

    its instant image search makes finding similar visuals online incredibly convenient.

  • Best for:

    similar image search

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

Lightshot is one of the best screenshot software that you can get for free, and the similar image search is a particularly good feature, allowing people to take a screenshot and quickly search for images that are the same. This means if you spot something that you want to look up it is really simple to do so. I found the image search feature surprisingly useful when testing it, as it instantly pulled up visually similar pictures from the web.

Key features:

  • Simple shortcuts using the PrtScn button
  • Similar image lookup
  • Works as a browser plugin
  • Simple online image editor

Ratings

Pros:

  • Simple install for Mac and Windows

  • Upload easily to a server

Cons:

  • Images upload to prntscr.com, which can be a problem if you have private screenshots

Some lightweight screenshot tools lack features like video recording or scrolling captures. If your tasks are complex, it might be worth exploring all-in-one tools that combine screenshots, screen recording, and at least basic editing.

  • Why I liked it:

    the precise color tools and built-in editor make it a perfect companion for designers and creators.

  • Best for:

    color picker

  • OS:

    Windows

PicPick is designed with a specific focus on color and color management. It features an image editor, color picker, color palette, and even a simple whiteboard function. It’s one of the best screenshot tools for Windows 10 users who work with design or web development. It makes color matching effortless and comes with handy tools for quick edits. When I tried it out, the color picker stood out for its accuracy, and I found it convenient to adjust screenshots directly in the app instead of opening another editor. In the latest update, PicPick 7.4.0 added support for saving images in WebP format and improved scrolling in the image editor, along with fixes for control capture and focus loss during delayed capture.

Key features:

  • Link to OneDrive and other cloud storage options
  • Easy to identify colors as hex codes
  • Whiteboard function

Ratings

3.5/5

Pros:

  • Easy to capture from any program or part of your screen

  • Excellent for designers and anyone working with graphics

Cons:

  • Annotation features aren’t as good as some other free screenshot tools

  • No video capture option

  • Why I liked it:

    it reliably captures full web pages without missing content and includes simple yet effective editing options.

  • Best for:

    capturing full IE pages

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

Greenshot is an excellent solution if you want to capture full web pages from Internet Explorer. You don’t have to worry about things going missing on a scrolling page, as Greenshot will capture the page from top to bottom, even “below the fold”. It also allows you to perform all the basic screenshot functions you would expect and has a simple annotation function. I found it reliable and easy to use, especially for quick full-page captures. In the latest release, Greenshot introduced zoom support in the editor and improved high-DPI awareness for sharper displays.

Key features:

  • Capture full web pages from IE
  • Simple annotation
  • Optional OCR

Ratings

4.8/5

4.8/5

Pros:

  • Open-source with a customizable install to get the features you want

  • Allows you to capture a long webpage without having to edit

Cons:

  • Limited editing functionality

  • No video capture

Action! – Screen and Game Recorder
4.8/5
Editor's choice
Movavi Screen Recorder
4.5/5
  • Why I liked it:

    it’s lightweight but powerful, with excellent built-in annotation and sharing tools for professional use.

  • Best for:

    linking to Android

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

Screenpresso is a really easy-to-use and lightweight piece of software with a focus on professional uses. It is also one of the best screenshot apps for Windows 10 that links easily to your Android device. This means you can grab screen captures from either, and edit and share them from your desktop. The upload and share options on Screenpresso are more than sufficient for most of us. I especially liked the built-in editor, which made it easy to add arrows and text.

Key features:

  • Android compatibility
  • Captures HD images and videos
  • Time delay if required
  • Multilingual support

Ratings

4.6/5

Pros:

Cons:

  • Why I liked it:

    it fits perfectly into team workflows, instantly syncing captured visuals with collaborative channels.

  • Best for:

    sharing recordings in teams

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS

MangoApps Recorder is designed as part of the MangoApps productivity suite, making it a convenient option for teams already using the platform. It allows you to capture screenshots and record short videos directly within your workspace for easy sharing in chats, tasks, or news feeds. The recorder integrates smoothly with other MangoApps tools, helping teams document workflows or explain processes visually. I liked how effortlessly it synced captured content with team channels, which made collaboration feel faster and more organized.

Key features:

  • Sharing images and videos
  • Webcam capture option
  • Custom shortcuts

Ratings

4.4/5

Pros:

  • Why I liked it:

    its built-in analytics let you track engagement effortlessly, making it great for business communication.

  • Best for:

    analytics

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS, and Linux

ScreenRec offers a lot of the functionality of the other options, making it easy to take screenshots or video recordings, but it is set apart as a fantastic option due to the fact that it includes a brilliant analytics suite, letting you see who viewed your image or video and for how long when you upload it to the ScreenRec server. I liked how detailed the analytics were and how quickly the files uploaded without slowing down my computer.

Key features:

  • Images stored on a secure server
  • HD video and screenshots
  • Tag and organize images on the cloud
  • Analytics included

Pros:

  • Excellent for business onboarding and creating a library of useful videos for others

  • You can track who has watched your video and for how long

Cons:

  • No advanced editing functions, only simple annotations

Cloud integration like in PicPick or ScreenRec is a game-changer for screenshot tools. Software that syncs directly with platforms such as Google Drive or OneDrive lets you access and share screenshots instantly, no matter where you are.

12. Gyazo

  • Why I liked it:

    it’s extremely fast for capturing and sharing images or GIFs across platforms with minimal effort.

  • Best for:

    simple clipboard sharing

  • OS:

    Windows, macOS, and Linux

Gyazo could be a good option if quick and easy sharing is what you are looking for. After installation, it makes it really simple to copy GIFs and other images to your clipboard, from where you can place them into emails, social media, messages, or more. It’s easy to use, and the free version does allow you simple functionality and basic sharing. It seemed great to me for sending quick captures, though I noticed it focuses more on speed than on editing options.

Key features:

  • Unlimited screenshots
  • Store captured images on the cloud
  • Grab unlimited HD replay videos on Windows

Ratings

Pros:

  • Incredibly fast to share images you have captured, even while gaming

  • Secure, encrypted storage

  • Easy editing function

Cons:

  • Some of the features are hidden behind a paywall

  • Mac and Linux functionality is not as good as Windows

Screenpresso
4.6/5
Editor's choice
Movavi Screen Recorder
4.5/5
  • Why I liked it:

    the creative annotation and 3D effects give screenshots a polished, professional touch.

  • Best for:

    advanced annotations

  • OS:

    Windows

SnapDraw is perfect for those with a certain set of needs, namely advanced annotations. Once the image has been captured using a hotkey, you can make some pretty advanced changes in a matter of seconds. Add annotations, insert images, add text, create your own watermark, and even add reflection effects and 3D rotation for your image. If you want to make these sorts of edits for free then SnapDraw makes a decent Windows companion. I liked how creative the editing tools felt, especially the 3D rotation effect, which gave the screenshots a polished look.

Key features:

  • Advanced annotation options
  • Integrated FTP upload and sharing
  • Drawing mode

Pros:

  • Great for outlining items, making hefty annotations, and explaining things to others

  • Free of charge with no upselling

Cons:

  • No video capture

  • Interface is not particularly modern or simple-to-use

  • Why I liked it:

    it combines flexible capture modes with a reliable built-in editor for daily productivity tasks.

  • Best for:

    Microsoft Edge plugin

  • OS:

    Windows

Nimbus Capture is a practical Edge extension for screenshots and screen recordings on your PC. You can grab a full page, a chosen area, or just the visible part of your screen. It also records video with webcam and sound. The built-in editor lets you add notes, highlight details, or blur private data. I liked how quick and precise the capture felt during everyday work.

Key features:

  • Microsoft Edge compatibility
  • Easy workspace to collaborate with others
  • Video and still image modes
  • WebM to MP4 and GIF available in Premium

Ratings

Pros:

  • Many screenshot and annotation tools in-browser

  • Customizable shortcuts for quick use

  • Fixed earlier scrolling capture issues

  • Why I liked it:

    it captures full web pages instantly from the browser, saving time when documenting online content.

  • Best for:

    online capture

  • OS:

    any (web-based)

This screenshot tool allows you to capture images using a scrolling window or by providing a URL. You can scroll to the video, text, or image you wish to screenshot and take a faithful and reliable copy. It works on multiple devices, too. The only downside really (and it is a big one) is the fact that you can only capture what is in your browser. The online version allows instant captures only, while scheduling is available in the separate desktop edition, Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro. I liked how quickly it captured web pages directly from the browser without requiring any installation.

Key features:

  • Online capture
  • Scheduled screenshots
  • Video capture
  • Online editing suite

Ratings

Pros:

  • Simple to capture images online without downloading any large software files

  • Easy, intuitive editing

Cons:

  • Doesn’t capture from desktop applications or from some private pages

  • Why I liked it:

    it integrates seamlessly into the browser for fast screen grabs and quick online sharing.

  • Best for:

    Google Drive integration

  • OS:

    Windows and macOS

Awesome Screenshot lets you take screen captures and videos within your browser, and can easily save them to your drive for simple and secure sharing and storage. It’s got all the features you would expect, including an option to capture part of the screen, and simple editing and annotating. I liked how quickly it captured and uploaded browser tabs, making it perfect for documenting online content.

Key features:

  • Simple Drive integration
  • Annotate and share with friends and colleagues
  • Edit and retouch options

Ratings

Pros:

  • Quickly create and store secure screen grabs and videos

  • Extremely lightweight software that won’t slow your computer

  • Intuitive layout

Cons:

  • Only captures from your browser

  • Browser installation can be a bit clunky

  • Why I liked it:

    it’s lightweight, efficient, and performs reliably even on older systems.

  • Best for:

    lightweight software

  • OS:

    Windows

FastStone is incredibly simple and lightweight, letting you grab images from freehand or fixed regions, plus scrolling windows. In addition to screenshots, you can record videos of your screen that include on-screen changes and mouse clicks. The software is lightweight and straightforward but does a reliable job and is free for personal use. It seemed great to me for quick captures because it worked smoothly even on an older laptop.

Key features:

  • Multiple capture options including freehand or fixed regions
  • Annotation function
  • Record clicks and mouse movements if required

Ratings

4.7/5

Pros:

  • Simple and lightweight with a really easy interface

  • Integrates well with Microsoft suite including Excel and Word

Cons:

  • Only free for personal use

  • No advanced editing functions

How to choose the best screenshot software

Pick the tool that fits your day, not someone else’s. If you want a clean start with zero fiddling, Movavi Screen Recorder is the safe choice. It opens fast, grabs sharp images, records when you need video, and lets you do small edits without another app.

Prefer free and customizable? ShareX gives you a lot of control. Spend a few minutes setting it up and it pays you back with quick shortcuts and flexible capture types.

Work with colors, mockups, or UI polish? PicPick is handy for designers. You get precise color picks and quick markups in one place.

Share screenshots with teammates all day? MangoApps Recorder slides right into chat and projects, so your images land where people actually see them.

Running an older or busy laptop? FastStone Capture stays light and responsive. It does the basics quietly and well.

Every app here can take a screenshot. The real win is how easily it fits into your routine. If you are unsure where to start, try Movavi for the smooth path, ShareX if you want free and flexible, and the Snipping Tool when you just need something right now.

7 essential features of screenshot tools

Use this list of the most useful features of screenshot tools to make the best choice:

  1. Capturing: the tool should allow you to take screenshots of full screen, any active window, or a specific region of the screen.
  2. Annotation: Annotating screenshots with text, arrows, and highlighting tools is necessary for explanatory purposes.
  3. Format availability: Sometimes you might need to save a screenshot in a specific format. The more formats a screenshot tool supports, the better.
  4. Scrolling screenshots: this feature is extremely useful for capturing a web page or a long PDF or text document.
  5. Sharing and collaboration: The ability to upload the screenshot directly to a cloud service or social media platform is a great benefit.
  6. Editor: Should allow at least basic image editing tasks such as resizing, cropping, or adjusting the color balance of the screenshot to enhance it.

Movavi Screen Recorder

The perfect way to record anything from your screen

Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.

<p>Movavi Screen Recorder</p>

Frequently asked questions

What is the best screenshot tool?

Here are the best Windows screenshot tools:

  • Movavi Screen Recorder – best for easy screenshots
  • ShareX – best for open-source screenshot and video capture
  • Windows Snipping Tool – best for inbuilt snipping tool
  • Lightshot – best for similar image search
  • PicPick – best for color picker
  • Greenshot – best for capturing full IE pages
  • Screenpresso – best for linking to Android
  • TinyTake – best for online gallery

What is the best free screenshot app for Windows?

Check out the list of 5 best apps for screenshot making:

  • Movavi Screen Recorder – best for easy screenshots
  • ShareX – best for open-source screenshot and video capture
  • Windows Snipping Tool – best for inbuilt snipping tool
  • Lightshot – best for similar image search
  • PicPick – best for color picker

How do I take a high-quality screenshot on Windows?

Using Movavi Screen Recorder, it is easy to take a perfect screenshot that suits your needs.

  1. Download and install the program.
    Download Movavi Screen Recorder

  2. Click the Screenshot icon on the toolbar at the bottom of your screen.

  3. Use annotation tools if you would like to add comments and make alterations.

  4. Export the result.

What is a good screenshot tool?

A good screenshot tool offers many features, editing tools, and sharing options. Among such tools we recommend Movavi Screen Recorder. It has everything you need for screenshotting: annotations, scrolling screenshots, and editing tools as well as sharing options.

What is the quick screenshot tool?

There are two ways to take a quick screenshot on Windows. You can either hit the PrtScn key to capture full screen and paste the screenshot to any image editor you want. You can also press Windows logo key + Shift + S to access the Snipping Tool, select the desired capture mode, and annotate the screenshot.

Is a Snipping Tool better than a screenshot?

They’re absolutely different things. A screenshot is the picture itself, whereas the Snipping Tool is just the app that helps you take it. So it isn’t better or worse – it’s simply the tool you use to capture the image in a more controlled way.

What is the best tool to capture screenshots?

If you like smooth and reliable, go with Movavi Screen Recorder. It just works – no setup, no headaches. Want something that costs nothing? Try ShareX. It’s free, powerful, and surprisingly flexible once you know where everything is.

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