Microsoft adds OCR to Snipping Tool, background blur to Photos, and more features

Microsoft is rolling out new features for the Snipping Tool, Phone Link and Microsoft Photos app in Windows 11, currently available for Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels. The updated Snipping Tool now allows users to copy text directly from screenshots and redact sensitive information using OCR, something similar to what we can do with Microsoft PowerToys Text Extractor tool, but specifically designed for screenshots. The tool also integrates with the Phone Link app, notifying users when a photo is taken on a linked Android device for potential text extraction.

The Photos app in Windows 11 is getting a new background blur feature. This function automatically distinguishes and blurs the background in a photo while highlighting the subject. Users can adjust the intensity and areas of the blur according to their preference.

Additionally, the revamped Photos app will enable users to search for content within their Microsoft OneDrive photos, including specific objects like cars or vacation photos. The app is also introducing a location search feature to help users find photos taken in specific geographic areas, and support for Samsung and Google Motion/Live Photos. As mentioned earlier, these features are currently available only to Insiders, but they shouldn't take too long to reach all users of the operating system.