Color Picker for Windows 10 and 11 — Free Online, No PowerToys Required
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Windows 10 and 11 do not ship with a built-in standalone color picker. The closest native option is PowerToys Color Picker — a solid tool, but it requires downloading and installing Microsoft's entire PowerToys utility suite just to get one feature.
A free browser-based color picker works in Chrome or Edge on any Windows machine and gives you HEX, RGB, and HSL codes without installing anything.
Does Windows Have a Built-In Color Picker?
Windows 11 added a color picker to the Snipping Tool (version 11.2302 and later) — you can open Snipping Tool, switch to the color picker mode, and click anywhere on screen to sample a color. It outputs HEX and RGB values.
Windows 10 has no built-in equivalent. The only first-party option for Windows 10 is PowerToys Color Picker, which requires a separate download.
For either version, a browser-based color picker is a fast alternative that works without using Snipping Tool, without installing PowerToys, and without opening any additional app.
How to Use the Online Color Picker in Chrome or Edge on Windows
- Open Chrome or Edge on your Windows computer.
- Navigate to the free color picker page.
- Click the color swatch — the browser's native color picker dialog will open.
- In Chrome and Edge on Windows, this dialog includes an eyedropper button that can sample any color visible on your screen.
- Use the wheel or enter a known value to select your color.
- Click the HEX, RGB, or HSL output to copy the code.
The Chrome and Edge Screen Sampler on Windows
When you open the browser's native color picker in Chrome or Edge on Windows, the dialog includes an eyedropper icon. Clicking it activates a screen sampler — your cursor becomes a magnified pixel picker that you can move over any part of your screen (not just the browser window) and click to sample that pixel's color.
This covers the most common PowerToys Color Picker use case — sampling a color from anywhere on screen — without requiring PowerToys to be installed.
Windows 11 Snipping Tool vs Browser Color Picker
| Feature | Snipping Tool Picker | Browser Color Picker |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sampling | Yes | Yes (Chrome/Edge) |
| HEX output | Yes | Yes |
| RGB output | Yes | Yes |
| HSL output | No | Yes |
| Color history | Yes | No |
| Works on Windows 10 | No | Yes |
| Install required | No (built-in) | No |
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Runs 100% in your browser. No data is collected, stored, or sent anywhere.
Open Free Color PickerFrequently Asked Questions
How do I open PowerToys Color Picker on Windows?
After installing PowerToys from the Microsoft Store or GitHub, the Color Picker is activated with the keyboard shortcut Win+Shift+C by default. You can change this shortcut in the PowerToys settings.
Does the browser color picker work in Firefox on Windows?
Firefox has a different color input implementation. The screen sampler eyedropper is available in Firefox DevTools (Shift+F7) but not in the standard color picker dialog. For the eyedropper functionality, Chrome or Edge on Windows works best.
Can I use this without an internet connection on Windows?
Once the page is loaded in Chrome or Edge, it works offline since all processing is local.
Is there a Windows color picker keyboard shortcut?
Windows 11 Snipping Tool's color picker mode can be opened via the Snipping Tool app. PowerToys uses Win+Shift+C. The browser tool does not have a system-level keyboard shortcut, but you can bookmark it and open it with Ctrl+T then type the bookmark name.
Jessica worked as a UX designer at two product companies before writing about the tools she used daily. She specializes in color theory, accessibility in design, and typography for non-designers.
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