# Getting started

hyperbin is free and ships as a direct download — there is no store, no
account, and no license to activate.

## Download

The links below always resolve to the newest release — no version number to
track down.

| Platform | Download |
|----------|----------|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | [Download for Apple Silicon](/hyperbin/download/mac) |
| macOS (Intel) | [Download for Intel](/hyperbin/download/mac/x64) |
| Windows (installer) | [Windows installer](/hyperbin/download/windows) |
| Windows (MSIX) | [Windows MSIX package](/hyperbin/download/windows/msix) |

## Installing

### macOS
1. Open the DMG and drag **hyperbin** into your Applications folder
2. Launch it from Applications — a **splash** appears and clears itself after
   a few seconds
3. hyperbin sits in your menu bar (near your clock) and registers itself at
   login by default; untick **Open at Login** in the menu if you'd rather
   launch it yourself

### Windows
1. Run the installer (or right-click the MSIX and choose **Install**)
2. hyperbin runs in your system tray (bottom-right corner) and starts at
   login by default
3. No special permissions are needed

## Permissions (macOS only)

hyperbin needs two macOS permissions, and a **permissions window** on first
launch walks you through both:

- **Accessibility** — the only way to locate the Trash icon in the Dock. If
  it's missing, the app shows the system prompt (with an "Open System
  Settings" button) and starts tracking the moment it's granted
- **Full Disk Access** — needed to read the size of `~/.Trash`. macOS can't
  prompt for this one, so the app probes the Trash on startup: that makes
  hyperbin appear in the Full Disk Access list already, needing only the
  switch to be flipped

> **Note — Size, not item count**
> The effect is driven by how much space the Trash takes up, which is why
> Full Disk Access matters: a trashed app bundle or project directory weighs
> real bytes even though Finder reports no item count for folders. Without
> this permission hyperbin draws nothing and says so in the menu bar.

> **Note — Windows needs nothing**
> On Windows hyperbin reads the Recycle Bin through the shell
> (`SHQueryRecycleBin`), which requires no extra grants at all.

## Building from source

hyperbin is open source. The [GitHub
repository](https://github.com/hypernuclear/hyperbin) has the code and a
build guide.

## First look

1. Drag a few files into the Trash
2. Watch the menu-bar item — it reports what's in the bin and why you can
   (or can't) see the effect
3. Pick an effect and amount from the menu:
   [Settings](/docs/hyperbin/settings) covers every item

Once the Trash is empty the effect disperses on its own, and hyperbin goes
quiet: the render clock stops when the bin is empty, when the Trash icon is
off screen, or when something covers it.

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From https://hypernuclear.com/docs/hyperbin/getting-started/