ShareX

About ShareX

ShareX is a free, open-source tool for screen capture, screen recording and quick file sharing, built for Windows. It goes far beyond the basic print-screen key: you can capture a region, window, full screen or scrolling page, record video or animated GIFs, and then automatically run the result through a pipeline of actions such as annotating, resizing, watermarking and uploading.

Its defining feature is powerful automation. You can configure "after capture" and "after upload" tasks so that, for example, every screenshot is annotated, saved to a folder, copied to the clipboard and uploaded to a destination of your choice, all from a single hotkey. It supports a large list of upload destinations and can shorten URLs, making it a favourite of people who share screenshots and recordings constantly, such as support staff, writers and developers.

ShareX also bundles an array of handy extras: a built-in image editor for annotations and arrows, a colour picker, a ruler, OCR to extract text from an image, QR-code tools and more. Because it is open source and completely free with no ads or watermarks, it has become a go-to replacement for both the default snipping tool and paid capture utilities.

The depth of options means the interface looks busy at first, and ShareX is Windows-only, but the common actions are available through customisable hotkeys so most people quickly settle into a fast capture-and-share routine without opening the main window at all.

Key features

• Region, window, full-screen and scrolling capture
• Screen and GIF recording
• Automated after-capture and after-upload workflows
• Built-in annotation editor, OCR and colour picker
• Many upload destinations with URL shortening

System requirements

A Windows PC. The program is lightweight, though screen recording benefits from a reasonably capable machine.

Tips

• Set up a single hotkey workflow that captures, annotates and copies to the clipboard
• Explore the OCR feature to pull text out of images and screenshots