Yoink Download for Windows

Text on screen? Yoink it.

Press Ctrl Shift 2, drag over any text you can see, then paste it. Paused videos, screen shares, scanned letters, error boxes that won’t let you select a thing. Yoink copies the words for you.

Download for Windows

Free Version 0.1.5 Windows 11, x64 50.4 MB

Shortbread in 20 minutes · Media Player

Step 1 of 3

Brown butter shortbread

  • 225 g butter, browned and cooled
  • 110 g caster sugar
  • 300 g plain flour
  • ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Bake at 160 °C fan for 22 minutes

Shopping list · Notepad

Saturday:

Press Ctrl Shift 2 or dragDrag across the recipe to try it, or

Illustrative demo. It reads this page’s own text, not your screen.

Three moves. No retyping.

  1. 1Press the shortcut

    Yoink waits in the system tray. Ctrl Shift 2 starts a capture from any app. Prefer another key? Change it in Settings.

  2. Yoink’s capture bar: Drag over text to copy it. Esc to cancel.

    2Drag over the text

    Draw a box round the words. It works across monitors with different display scales. Change your mind? Press Esc.

  3. Yoink’s capture pill reads the selection, then shows Copied with a tick.

    3Paste it anywhere

    A small pill shows Yoink reading, then Copied. The text is on your clipboard. Press Ctrl V.

Recordings come from the real app. Timing is illustrative; reading speed depends on your PC and the image.

For text you can see but can’t select.

Pick an example and watch Yoink take the text.

The link is on their slide, not in the chat. Take it from the slide instead of squinting and typing.

Illustrative examples with made-up details. The QR code is real and points to example.com.

It remembers what you yoinked.

Every capture goes into a history on your PC. Search it, pin what matters, fix a word, copy it again or export it.

Start a capture from the window as well as the shortcut.

Yoink’s history window: a capture button, filters for All, Text, Links and Codes, a search box, pinned and recent captures, and Copy, Edit, Export and Delete buttons.
The real Yoink 0.1.4 window. Captures shown are sample data.

Local by default.
Online only if you choose.

Local Default

Windows’ built-in text recognition reads your selection on your PC. The image never leaves it, and it costs nothing.

OpenAI Optional

Turn it on with your own OpenAI API key. Yoink then sends the area you select to OpenAI, and OpenAI charges your account for each read. Yoink has no key of its own and none comes with the download.

  • No account, no sign-in, no subscription
  • History stays on your PC, and you can turn it off
  • Yoink keeps the text, not the screen image

Looks like it came with Windows.

Yoink follows your Windows light or dark mode and your accent colour. Want your own? Pick a tint in Settings.

Try a look

This page picks up the accent too.

Yoink’s compact window in the Light look.
Real compact window renders, sample captures.

The small stuff is handled.

  • Images and PDFs

    Open an image or a multi-page PDF and read the lot.

  • From the clipboard

    Copied a screenshot already? Read it straight from the clipboard.

  • QR codes and barcodes

    Decoded on your PC and saved with your other captures.

  • Every monitor

    Select across screens with different display scales.

  • Your languages

    Uses the text recognition languages installed in Windows, chosen for you or by you.

  • Line breaks your way

    Keep the original lines, or join them into paragraphs.

  • Out of the way

    Lives in the tray. Start it when you sign in, if you like.

  • No admin needed

    Installs for your Windows account only.

  • Upgrades keep your stuff

    Settings, history and pins survive a new version.

Get Yoink. It’s free.

Download Yoink 0.1.5
Version
0.1.5
Needs
Windows 11, 64-bit (x64)
File
Yoink-0.1.5-win-x64-Setup.exe
Size
50.4 MB (52,898,414 bytes)
SHA-256
33f60983ed22dcbfc8a27e74054561e8da2bed505d54f024579ee48616759ae2

Windows may warn you

The installer isn’t signed yet. Microsoft publisher verification is pending. Until it’s done, SmartScreen may say “Windows protected your PC”. Select More info, then Run anyway.

To check you have the real file, compare its SHA-256 in PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\Yoink-0.1.5-win-x64-Setup.exe

How to install

  1. Open Yoink-0.1.5-win-x64-Setup.exe from your Downloads folder.
  2. Follow the setup. It installs for your account only, so Windows won’t ask for an administrator.
  3. On the last page, tick Open Yoink, or open Yoink from Start later.
  4. Look for the hand in the system tray. Press Ctrl Shift 2 and drag.

Updating? Quit Yoink from its tray menu, then run the new installer. Your settings and history stay put.

Questions

Is Yoink really free?

Yes. There’s no price, account or subscription. Local recognition costs nothing. The optional OpenAI mode uses your own API key, and OpenAI bills you for that use.

Does Yoink send my screen anywhere?

Not in Local mode, which is the default. Windows reads the text on your PC. If you switch to OpenAI, Yoink sends only the area you selected to OpenAI. History stays on your PC either way, and Yoink doesn’t keep the screen image after it reads it.

How do I turn on OpenAI recognition?

Add a Windows user environment variable named YOINK that holds your OpenAI API key. Then choose OpenAI in Yoink’s Settings, under Recognition. The status bar shows which mode is active. Switch back to Local at any time.

Which languages can it read?

In Local mode, the languages that have text recognition installed in Windows. Yoink can detect the language for you, or you can choose one. To add a language, open Windows Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region.

How accurate is it?

It depends on the image. Sharp printed text gives the best results. Tiny, blurred, stylised or handwritten text is harder. Check anything important before you rely on it. You can correct a capture in history.

Why does Windows warn me when I install it?

The installer isn’t code-signed yet, and Microsoft publisher verification is still pending. SmartScreen warns about unsigned apps it hasn’t seen often. Check the SHA-256 in the download section, then choose More info and Run anyway.

Does it update itself?

No. To update, quit Yoink from its tray menu and run the newer installer from this page. Your settings, history and pins carry over.

Can I change the shortcut?

Yes. Open Settings, then General, then Capture shortcut. New installs start with Ctrl Shift 2.

Which PCs does it run on?

Yoink is built and tested for Windows 11 on 64-bit (x64) PCs. There’s no Mac or Linux version.

How do I uninstall it?

Quit Yoink, then go to Windows Settings, Apps, Installed apps, Yoink, Uninstall. Uninstalling keeps your history and settings in case you come back. To remove them too, delete the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Yoink folder afterwards.