Microsoft Windows 11’s Snipping Tool will finally detect and scan QR codes in images

2023 was a great yr for Snipping Tool in Microsoft Windows 11. It acquired audio recording help, Text Actions to establish and redact image textual content, and different upgradess. After introducing form help within the Snipping Tool, Microsoft is experimenting with a built-in QR code scanner and some more options.

Microsoft watcher Phantom Ocean noticed two hidden options in a current Snipping Tool model, together with emojis help and a QR code scanner. As proven within the GIF beneath, now you can select from a restricted set of emojis to annotate the screenshot.

The emojis are resizeable, which makes it straightforward to change their form and path to create more impression. You can mix emojis with shapes to make the annotations genuinely stand out. Microsoft continues to be engaged on the latest addition, which can start rolling out to everybody within the coming weeks.

As proven within the screenshot beneath, you may click on the “QR code scanner” icon to scan the screenshot. After that, it’s going to redirect you to the suitable hyperlink or extract the textual content hidden within the QR code.

This removes the difficulty of scanning the QR code together with your cellphone’s digital camera and sharing the hyperlink to your PC. Additionally, Microsoft Windows 11 24H2 has a built-in characteristic to generate QR codes.

Apart from these two hidden options, Snipping Tool can now alter the colours for screenshots on an HDR monitor. It will assist cut back the sharpness of the screenshots on HDR shows.

In our checks, we noticed that you’ll want to allow the “HDR screenshots colour corrector” characteristic within the settings, which is turned off by default. Enabling it refines the screenshot output with out the necessity for handbook tweaking.

The HDR screenshot colour corrector characteristic is accessible in Snipping Tool model 11.2403.8.0. The above screenshot is from the newest model of the app, accessible for Microsoft Windows Insiders solely. For now, you received’t see these adjustments in secure builds.

Annotation and audio/video recording upgradess in Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool has had a video recording characteristic for fairly a while, nevertheless it felt incomplete with out audio seize help. Microsoft Windows customers needed to resort to packages like OBS Studio to perform that.

After including the audio recording help, the Snipping Tool seems as an almost full seize instrument with image help. The potential so as to add shapes as a substitute of fighting the cursor to attract straight traces can be a pleasant contact.

But there’s nonetheless a variety of room for upgrades. You can not add textual content to the captured screenshots; you could open the Paint app.

All the latest options mentioned above are nonetheless within the experimental section. So, patiently await Microsoft to greenlight them and ship them to the secure channel within the coming months.