How to redact text in Snipping Tool, and cover what it can't

How to redact text in Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

1. Take a snip with Win+Shift+S, or open an existing screenshot in Snipping Tool.
2. Select Text actions in the toolbar. Snipping Tool recognizes the text in the image; Microsoft says this runs locally on your device.
3. Select Quick redact to hide every email address and phone number it found.
4. Hide other text by hand: select the words, right-click, and choose Redact text.
5. Check and save. Zoom in to confirm nothing is readable, then save a copy and share that file.

Sources: Microsoft's Snipping Tool support page (Text actions and Quick redact) and the Windows Insider announcement (right-click Redact text), both checked October 13, 2026. Text actions arrived in Snipping Tool version 11.2308 in 2023. Microsoft does not list a minimum Windows build, so if the button is missing, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store.

What Snipping Tool redaction covers, and what it doesn't

Text actions depends on text recognition, so always look at the redacted snip before you save it. Anything it missed is still in the image.

How to hide images, faces, and other non-text areas in Snipping Tool

1. Pick the pen, not the highlighter. The highlighter is see-through by design.
2. Choose a solid dark color and cover the area completely, a little past its edges.
3. Zoom in and verify. If any part shows through a gap or at the edge, keep covering.
4. Save a new copy and share that file, not the original.

Done carefully, this removes the pixels from the exported image. It is manual, though, and easy to rush on a screenshot with several fields to hide.

Why the highlighter is not redaction

The most common mistake is using the highlighter to "block out" text. It is translucent, so the words underneath are still there, just tinted. On screen they can look hidden; zoom in, change the contrast, or open the file on another display, and they often read clearly. Treat anything you can still partly see as not redacted.

Can hidden data be recovered later?

Once an area is fully covered and saved as a new flattened PNG, those pixels are not in the file anymore. The risk is usually everything around it.

In 2023 a flaw nicknamed aCropalypse (CVE-2023-28303) affected the Windows 11 Snipping Tool and Google Pixel's Markup: when an edited image overwrote the original, parts of the removed content could be recovered. Microsoft patched it in March 2023, so an up-to-date Snipping Tool is not exposed to that bug. The lesson still holds: save a fresh copy and verify coverage before sharing.

When a redaction layer is faster than Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool is the right first stop for a quick snip with an email or phone number in it. A dedicated redaction layer helps when you hide several regions at once, need blur or pixelate for photos and avatars, or capture in the browser anyway. In FramedShot you capture the tab, drag a redaction over each region, and export a flattened image:

For the trade-offs between masking methods, see blur vs pixelate vs solid fill; for credentials, use solid fill rather than blur.

Snipping Tool vs a dedicated redaction tool

If you would rather stay in the browser, see the Snipping Tool alternative for Chrome, or the Windows workflow in redact screenshots on Windows without uploading.

FAQ

Does Snipping Tool have a redaction tool?

Yes, for text. In Windows 11 Snipping Tool, select Text actions after taking a snip, then Quick redact to hide emails and phone numbers, or select other text, right-click, and choose Redact text. It works on text it can recognize; it does not redact images, faces, or other non-text areas, and Microsoft does not document a blur or pixelate tool.

Is the Snipping Tool highlighter safe for hiding text?

No. The highlighter is translucent, so text underneath often stays readable. Use Text actions for text, or an opaque pen stroke for other areas, and zoom in to confirm nothing shows through.

Can redacted data be recovered from a Snipping Tool screenshot?

If you fully cover the area and save a flattened PNG, those pixels are gone from the image. A 2023 flaw called aCropalypse (CVE-2023-28303) let cropped content be recovered from edited Snipping Tool images; Microsoft patched it in March 2023. Always save a new copy and verify coverage.

What is the safest way to redact a screenshot on Windows?

Use a tool with a dedicated redaction layer that blurs, pixelates, or solid-fills the area and flattens it on export, then verify the result. FramedShot does this in Chrome and processes the screenshot locally, with no upload.