ksnip — The Complete Guide: Annotated Screenshots, the Same Tool on Every OS

ksnip is an open-source screenshot tool built on Qt that looks and behaves the same way on Windows, macOS and Linux. If you work on several computers, or in a team that mixes operating systems, you learn one tool and get the same shortcuts and the same editor everywhere. It is licensed under GPL-3.0, free for any use including commercial, with no registration.

ksnip

ksnip project

Open-source screenshots with annotation, the same tool on Windows, macOS and Linux, including Wayland sessions.

Get it from the vendor

What you get

Capture modes — rectangular area, last captured area, full screen, the active window or the window under the cursor.
Annotation editor — arrows, shapes, text and numbered stickers to mark steps on a capture of an interface.
Hiding data — blur or pixelate client names, file paths or sensitive figures before sending.
Save as PDF — besides image files, handy for attaching to a report or a documentation file.
Command line — capture from a script, for example to document the state of a program automatically.

Who it suits and what to check

ksnip suits documenting a bug in engineering software, marking up a drawing or a chart, and preparing an internal guide with annotated captures. Keep two points in mind: on Wayland and macOS some capture modes are restricted, and the project is maintained by a single developer, so updates come slowly.

Related tools

For Linux and Windows with a particularly quick editor — Flameshot. For Windows with direct export to Office — Greenshot. For a richer tool with recording and automation — ShareX.