This week, Microsoft released some big updates for Windows 11's built-in apps. Paint, Notepad, and Snipping Tool—all three received AI injections, with new features allowing you to generate stickers, make perfect screenshots, and draft text. Now, Microsoft is working on another upgrade for Snipping Tool, and the good news is that it is not about AI.
@pahntomofearth discovered that Snipping Tool will soon allow saving screen recordings as GIFs. In its current form, the app saves recordings as videos, but a quick and lightweight GIF is sometimes a more efficient way to show something on your screen. Besides the new format, Snipping Tool will let you choose the output quality to reduce the file size or make the image clearer. Once the update is out, you will see a new GIF button in the upper-right corner of the window when saving the recorded video and a new Ctrl + G keyboard shortcut.
First look at a new Snipping Tool feature coming soon to Windows 11: the ability to quickly create GIFs from screen recordings!
— phantomofearth 🌳 (@phantomofearth) May 22, 2025
You'll get options to export/copy the GIF, with a choice between low and high quality. This menu can also be accessed with a keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+G. pic.twitter.com/kBsvkHMDtK
Microsoft has not announced the update yet, so full details remain unknown. The ability to save screen recordings as GIFs might show up alongside one of the future Windows 11 preview builds in the Insider program. If you are new to the Snipping Tool app, you might want to change where the app stores screenshots and screen recordings. Check out this guide to learn how to do that.
What other features would you like Microsoft to add to the Snipping Tool app? Share your thoughts in the comments.
7 Comments - Add comment