How to Enable and Create GIFs Using Snipping Tool on Windows 11

Windows 11 includes a built-in feature called the Snipping Tool that allows you to take screenshots and record your screen, and export the result as an animated GIF. This guide explains how to enable the feature if it's not already available and how to create GIFs using the Snipping Tool. If you're not in a rush though, you can wait for the feature to land on your system naturally at some stage. But it might be a while.

How to Enable and Create GIFs Using Snipping Tool on Windows 11

Before you jump into the steps, here are a few key points about creating GIFs with the Snipping Tool.

• The GIF feature is currently rolling out gradually to Windows Insider builds, specifically in the Canary and Dev Channels.
• Snipping Tool limits GIF recordings to a maximum of 30 seconds.
• Higher frame rates are only available when exporting in High quality.

If the GIF export option is not available by default, you can enable it using a utility called ViveTool. Here’s how:

• Go to the ViveTool GitHub page and download the latest ZIP file (for example, ViveTool-v0.x.x.zip).
• Extract the contents to a folder on your PC.
• Copy the full path to that folder.
• Open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.
• Use the cd command to navigate to the folder where you extracted ViveTool.
• Run the following command to enable the feature:

• Restart your computer.
• To disable the feature later, follow the same steps but use the command:

Create an Animated GIF Using Snipping Tool

Once the feature is enabled and you have the required version of Snipping Tool, follow these steps to create a GIF:

• Open the Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
• Alternatively, press Windows key + Shift + R to launch the screen recording tool.
• Select the Record option, then click New.

• Use the mouse to select the area of the screen you want to capture.
• Click the Start button to begin recording. You can record up to 30 seconds.
• Click the Stop Recording button when finished.
• (Optional) Click the Trim button to edit the recording, then click Apply.
• Click the GIF button at the top-right corner of the app.
• Choose a quality setting: Low (12 frames per second) or High (24 frames per second).
• Click Export and save the file to your device.

• Your screen recording will now be saved as a GIF file that you can share or embed as needed.