How to uninstall Yoink on Mac
Save wanted shelf items and clipboard contents before removing Yoink. The vendor's privacy policy says the Mac app stores file references, app content and clipboard history in local sandbox containers. This guide covers the official Mac app and the yoink Homebrew cask; the recorded app used the demo bundle ID.
Save the shelf and quit
Reveal wanted files with Show in Finder. For copied text or images, save actual files outside Yoink and open them to confirm the copy. The Mac usage tips describe holding Option during a drag to force copying instead of moving. A reference in the shelf is not an independent backup.
Save clipboard items before disabling Clipboard History: the developer's explanation says disabling it in Preferences › Extensions clears the stored history. Quit Yoink from its menu bar menu; use Activity Monitor if a matching process remains. Then move Yoink.app from Applications to Trash. Remove a Finder toolbar shortcut or a manually created ~/Library/PDF Services/Yoink.app alias separately if you added one.
Review containers and extensions
After saving and checking shelf or clipboard files and quitting Yoink, press Shift + Command + G in Finder to open the three demo containers below. Back up any wanted contents before moving the Yoink items you choose to remove to Trash. Review group data and scripts separately, preserving them if another installed app needs them or ownership is uncertain; do not remove their parent folders.
| Location | Keep or remove |
|---|---|
| ~/Library/Containers/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo | Demo app container. Save wanted data before removal. |
| ~/Library/Containers/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo.ClipboardHistorySwiftUIExtensionSectionable | Clipboard extension container observed in the test. |
| ~/Library/Containers/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo.YoinkWebURLShareExtension | Share extension container observed in the test. |
| ~/Library/Group Containers/G78RJ6NLJU.group.at.EternalStorms.Yoink | Group data shared with Yoink components. Back up wanted contents and preserve other installed claimants. |
| ~/Library/Application Scripts/G78RJ6NLJU.group.at.EternalStorms.Yoink | The matching group scripts. Handle with the same ownership boundary. |
These container names came from the official demo test, not an assumption about App Store or Setapp paths. Keep unrelated files you dragged into Yoink and do not delete the Containers or Group Containers parent.
Check the result
pgrep -il Yoink
ls -ld /Applications/Yoink.app "$HOME/Library/Containers/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo" "$HOME/Library/Group Containers/G78RJ6NLJU.group.at.EternalStorms.Yoink"
No matching process output means no matching name is running. Printed paths remain, missing-path errors mean absence, and permission errors leave the result unknown. Check saved shelf files separately. Uninstalling does not cancel a Setapp subscription or remove the separate iPhone and iPad app.
If you installed it with Homebrew
brew uninstall --cask yoink
The cask removes the app without zap. Its zap list matches ~/Library/Application Scripts/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo* and ~/Library/Containers/at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo*, and also removes the group container and group scripts above. A direct brew uninstall --cask --zap yoink runs that whole list regardless of Mole's checkboxes and can erase shelf or clipboard data.
Mole checks Homebrew's full removal list and skips --zap when it reaches unchecked data, shared files or anything it cannot verify. It still removes the leftovers you selected.
What Mole lists
The app's exact bundle container and its own bundle-prefixed extension containers and scripts are selected by default when present. Save wanted contents or uncheck them before removal. Group data keeps its ownership and individual-review boundaries, including protection when another installed app claims it. Enabling Remove data and settings with apps can preselect eligible reviewed app data, but does not override that group-data protection.
What this test covered
On September 21, 2026, Yoink 3.7.6 from the official zip was copied to Applications and removed without a Homebrew receipt or granting Accessibility. Its bundle ID was at.EternalStorms.Yoink-demo. The app, its own scripts and temporary cache went to Trash; the three containers above returned permission errors, and the group container and group scripts were skipped as protected. Clipboard recovery, App Store or Setapp removal and complete container deletion were not verified.