WindowPin

Install and first run

WindowPin has no installer. You run the file you downloaded, and that is the whole installation. Windows may show one warning the first time, so here is what it means and how to get past it.

  1. 1

    Download it

    Your browser may hold the file back as one that “isn’t commonly downloaded”. In Chrome, open the ⋮ menu next to the download and choose Keep. In Edge, use […] → Keep.

  2. 2

    The “Windows protected your PC” dialog

    Run the file and a blue dialog appears once. Click More info at the bottom left and a Run anyway button appears. You only ever see this the first time.

  3. 3

    That is all

    No setup screen, no restart. An icon appears in the tray and you can start using it.

If your browser warns you

The build is not code-signed yet, so Chrome calls it a file that “isn't commonly downloaded” and Windows SmartScreen reports an unknown publisher. That is about how new the download is, not about the file being unsafe.

If you would rather check for yourself

Check that the file you got is the real one

Paste this single line into PowerShell and it prints the checksum of the file you just downloaded. If it matches the value above, the file is exactly what we published.

SHA-256 checksum
f3c14a4c0f1f0cc60fa34fa73c090abcf86f6bab337100a66818f6a1743a0acd
> Get-FileHash "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\WindowPin-2.5.0-win-x64.exe" -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List

Read the VirusTotal report →

See how roughly seventy antivirus engines judged this exact file. The link goes straight to the checksum of the build we published.

Install from the command line →

Scoop and winget never touch the browser, so no warning appears at all. They also verify the checksum for you.

Lightweight build

Nothing about the app itself. The large file carries the .NET runtime inside it and runs anywhere; the lightweight build uses the runtime already on the PC. If it is missing, Windows offers to install it on first run. If you are not sure, take the large file above.

Lightweight build · 567 KB

If this PC already has the .NET 8 Desktop Runtime, this file is all you need. The app is identical — only the download is smaller.

SHA-256 checksum
1eb0890ef0ae0e563dd67ea665072180688afb6b0c1a3cd47c6ac8ece2349048
Download Get the runtime

Removing it

Delete the executable and it is gone. Your notes live in %APPDATA%\WindowPin; delete that folder too and nothing is left behind. If you enabled the desktop right-click menu, turn it off in Settings first.

Download Back to WindowPin