1  # Color Picker
 2  
 3  [Public overview - Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/color-picker)
 4  
 5  ## Quick Links
 6  
 7  [All Issues](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20label%3A%22Product-Color%20Picker%22)<br>
 8  [Bugs](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/issues?q=is%3Aopen%20label%3AIssue-Bug%20label%3A%22Product-Color%20Picker%22)<br>
 9  [Pull Requests](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aopen++label%3A%22Product-Color+Picker%22)
10  
11  ## Overview
12  Color Picker is a system-wide color picking utility for Windows that allows users to pick colors from any screen and copy them to the clipboard in a configurable format.
13  
14  ## Implementation Details
15  
16  ### Color Capturing Mechanism
17  The Color Picker works by following these steps to capture the color at the current mouse position:
18  
19  1. Obtain the position of the mouse
20  2. Create a 1x1 size rectangle at that position
21  3. Create a Bitmap class and use it to initiate a Graphics object
22  4. Create an image associated with the Graphics object by leveraging the CopyFromScreen function, which captures the pixel information from the specified location
23  
24  ### Core Color Picking Function
25  The following code snippet demonstrates the core functionality of how a color is picked from the screen:
26  
27  ```csharp
28  private static Color GetPixelColor(System.Windows.Point mousePosition)
29  {
30      var rect = new Rectangle((int)mousePosition.X, (int)mousePosition.Y, 1, 1);
31      using (var bmp = new Bitmap(rect.Width, rect.Height, PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb))
32      {
33          var g = Graphics.FromImage(bmp);
34          g.CopyFromScreen(rect.Left, rect.Top, 0, 0, bmp.Size, CopyPixelOperation.SourceCopy);
35  
36          return bmp.GetPixel(0, 0);
37      }
38  }
39  ```
40  
41  ## Features
42  - Pick colors from any pixel on the screen
43  - View color information in various formats (RGB, HEX, HSL, etc.)
44  - Copy color values to clipboard in configurable formats
45  - Color history for quick access to previously selected colors
46  - Keyboard shortcuts for quick activation and operation
47  
48  ## User Experience
49  When activated, Color Picker displays a magnified view of the area around the cursor to allow for precise color selection. Once a color is selected, it can be copied to the clipboard in the user's preferred format for use in design tools, development environments, or other applications.