How to pick a colour from the screen in Windows

Short answer: Windows has no global built-in eyedropper. Paint's picker works only inside Paint; PowerToys adds one at the cost of the whole suite. A free standalone like Color Picker shows the pixel under the cursor live and copies HEX/RGB/HSL on a keypress or a global left-click.

Method 1: Paint (inside Paint only)

Open Paint → Colour picker tool → click a colour in the canvas → the value appears in the colour editor. Useful when you're already editing an image; useless for grabbing a colour from a browser, a video or another app.

Method 2: PowerToys Color Picker

PowerToys includes a Color Picker (Win + Shift + C by default). It works well — if you already run PowerToys. If not, installing a whole toolkit for one shortcut is a heavy trade.

Method 3: Color Picker — standalone, live preview, history

Download free — ColorPicker-Setup.exe

1. Open the app — the swatch and HEX/RGB/HSL values track the cursor in real time.
2. Pick: press Space, or left-click anywhere on the screen — the colour is copied to the clipboard instantly, without switching windows.
3. Build a palette: every pick joins the history wall (24 swatches, newest first). Click any swatch to copy it again.

The app reads exactly one pixel under the cursor — no screenshots are taken, nothing is stored or uploaded, and it works offline.

Where the values go

• CSS/HTML — paste the HEX straight into your stylesheet.
• Design tools — use RGB/HSL when the tool asks for channels.
• Palettes and moodboards — pick a series, then walk the history wall.

A note on accuracy

A screen picker reads the rendered pixel — after your display profile and any app-level colour management. That's exactly what you want for matching what you see; it can differ by a shade from the colour stored in a file. Every screen tool shares this property.

FAQ

Is there a built-in shortcut in Windows itself?

No — stock Windows has no global colour picker; Paint and Photos only sample inside their own canvas.

Can I pick colours while another app is focused?

With this tool, yes: the global left-click captures the pixel without bringing the picker to the front. Space works when the window is focused.

Does it work on multiple monitors?

Yes — the cursor position is read in screen coordinates, so any monitor works.