Configuration

Meikipop stores all settings in config.ini in the application directory. You can edit this file directly or use the Settings dialog (right-click tray icon → Settings).

Configuration file structure

The config.ini file is organized into two main sections:

[Settings]
# Core functionality settings

[Theme]
# Appearance and display settings

Settings section

These options control meikipop’s core functionality and behavior.

hotkey

string

default:"shift"

The keyboard shortcut that triggers dictionary lookups.Available options:

shift
ctrl
alt
ctrl+shift
ctrl+alt
shift+alt
ctrl+shift+alt

Changes take effect after saving settings. No restart required.

scan_region

string

default:"region"

Determines whether meikipop scans a selected region or the entire screen.Options:

region: Scan only a user-selected area (more efficient)
fullscreen: Scan the entire screen

See the region selection guide for details.

max_lookup_length

integer

default:"25"

Maximum number of characters to process when looking up words.Range: 5-100Higher values allow matching longer phrases but may impact performance slightly.

The default value of 25 works well for most use cases, including compound words and common phrases.

ocr_provider

string

default:"Google Lens (remote)"

The OCR engine used to extract Japanese text from screenshots.Built-in options:

Google Lens (remote): Cloud-based, highly accurate (default)
owocr: Local OCR server (requires separate installation)
MeikiOCR: Alternative OCR backend
ScreenAI: Experimental provider
Dummy: Testing provider (returns mock data)

You can develop custom OCR providers. See the Custom OCR Provider guide.

glens_low_bandwidth

boolean

default:"false"

Compresses screenshots before sending them to Google Lens.When to enable:

Slow internet connection
High latency to Google servers
Mobile/metered connections

Trade-offs:

✅ Significantly faster OCR on slow connections
✅ Reduced bandwidth usage
⚠️ Slightly reduced OCR accuracy
⚠️ Increased CPU usage for compression

Only available when OCR provider is set to “Google Lens (remote)“.

auto_scan_mode

boolean

default:"false"

Continuously scans the screen region to provide instant lookups without pressing the hotkey.See the auto scan mode guide for detailed information.

Auto scan mode increases system load and may impact performance on slower machines.

auto_scan_mode_lookups_without_hotkey

boolean

default:"true"

Shows the popup automatically in auto scan mode without requiring the hotkey to be pressed.When disabled:

Screen is continuously scanned and cached
Popup only appears when you press the hotkey
Provides faster lookups than manual mode with similar UX

Disable this if you want the performance benefits of auto scan but prefer the traditional press-to-show behavior.

auto_scan_interval_seconds

float

default:"0.0"

Minimum time (in seconds) between automatic scans.Range: 0.0-60.0Acts as a cooldown to reduce system load:

0.0: Scan as frequently as possible (highest load, lowest latency)
0.5: Scan every half second (balanced)
2.0: Scan every 2 seconds (lower load, higher latency)

Increase this value if auto scan mode causes performance issues.

auto_scan_on_mouse_move

boolean

default:"false"

Only triggers automatic scans when the mouse cursor moves.Benefits:

Reduces unnecessary scans when cursor is stationary
Lowers system load
Extends battery life on laptops

Drawback:

Slight delay when you first move the mouse after it’s been still

Only takes effect when auto_scan_mode is enabled.

magpie_compatibility

boolean

default:"false"

Applies coordinate transformations for compatibility with Magpie game scaler.Platform: Windows onlyEnable this if you use Magpie to upscale games and notice the popup appearing in the wrong location.

Magpie is a Windows tool that applies real-time upscaling to game windows.

Theme section

These options control the visual appearance of the dictionary popup.

theme_name

string

default:"Nazeka"

The name of the active color theme preset.Built-in themes:

Nazeka: Dark gray with cyan and green highlights (default)
Celestial Indigo: Deep purple with gold accents
Neutral Slate: Medium gray with muted green
Academic: Light background with dark text (high contrast)
Custom: User-defined colors

See themes and appearance for visual examples.

Color settings

hex color

default:"#2E2E2E"

Background color of the popup window.

hex color

default:"#F0F0F0"

Default text color for definitions and body text.

hex color

default:"#88D8FF"

Color for the main word (kanji/kana form).

hex color

default:"#90EE90"

Color for the reading/furigana text.

background_opacity

integer

default:"245"

Opacity of the popup background.Range: 50-255

255: Fully opaque
200: Slightly transparent
50: Very transparent

Slight transparency (230-245) can make the popup feel lighter while maintaining readability.

Typography settings

string

default:""

Font family for popup text. Empty string uses the system default.Can be any font installed on your system. Japanese fonts recommended for best results:

Windows: Yu Gothic, Meiryo, MS Gothic
macOS: Hiragino Sans, Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro
Linux: Noto Sans CJK, IPAGothic

integer

default:"18"

Font size in pixels for the word and reading (header).Range: 8-72

integer

default:"14"

Font size in pixels for definitions and body text.Range: 8-72

Display behavior

Controls how the popup is positioned relative to the cursor.Options:

flip_vertically: Flip above cursor if no space below (recommended)
flip_horizontally: Flip to left of cursor if no space right
flip_both: Flip both vertically and horizontally as needed
visual_novel_mode: Smart positioning optimized for reading text in thirds

Visual Novel Mode uses a sophisticated algorithm to position the popup in the least obtrusive location based on cursor position in screen thirds.

boolean

default:"true"

Displays multiple definitions on a single line separated by semicolons.When enabled:

食べる [たべる] to eat; to live on; to make a living

When disabled:

食べる [たべる]
(1) to eat
(2) to live on
(3) to make a living

Content visibility toggles

boolean

default:"false"

Shows all definition glosses for each sense instead of just the first.Example with multiple glosses per sense:

Enabled: to eat, to consume, to devour
Disabled: to eat

boolean

default:"false"

Displays the deconjugation process for inflected verbs and adjectives.Example:

食べた [たべた] (食べる ← past tense)

boolean

default:"false"

Shows part-of-speech tags in definitions.Example:

(1) (v1, vt) to eat; (2) (exp) to make a living

boolean

default:"false"

Displays dictionary tags (frequency, level, type) in the header.Example:

食べる [たべる] [common, jlpt-n5, v1, vt]

boolean

default:"true"

Includes kanji entries in lookup results.When disabled, only vocabulary entries are shown.

boolean

default:"false"

Shows example words containing the kanji (only applies to kanji entries).Example:

食 [ショク, ジキ, く.う]
食, eat, food
食事 [しょくじ] meal; 食べ物 [たべもの] food

Only visible when show_kanji is enabled.

boolean

default:"false"

Displays radical components that make up the kanji.Example:

食 [ショク, ジキ]
食, eat, food
人 person, 良 good

Only visible when show_kanji is enabled.

Accessing the Settings dialog

Open the settings

Right-click the meikipop icon in your system tray and select Settings.

Navigate the tabs

The Settings dialog is organized into three tabs:

General: Core settings, auto scan, popup behavior
Popup Content: What information to display
Popup Appearance: Colors, fonts, theme presets

Make your changes

Adjust settings as desired. Most controls include tooltips with additional information.

Save your changes

Click Save to apply changes immediately. Settings are written to config.ini.

Changes take effect immediately without restarting meikipop. You can test different settings and see results in real-time.

Configuration tips

Optimizing for speed

Enable auto scan mode
Enable Google Lens compression on slow connections
Disable show_kanji if you only need vocabulary
Use compact mode
Reduce max_lookup_length to 15-20

Maximizing information

Enable show_all_glosses
Enable show_deconjugation
Enable show_pos and show_tags
Enable show_examples and show_components for kanji
Disable compact mode

Reducing system load

Disable auto scan mode
Use region mode instead of fullscreen
If using auto scan: increase auto_scan_interval_seconds
If using auto scan: enable auto_scan_on_mouse_move

Best readability

Choose a high-contrast theme (Academic)
Increase font sizes (header: 20+, definitions: 16+)
Use a clear Japanese font
Set background_opacity to 245-255
Enable compact_mode for concise information

Manual config.ini editing

You can edit config.ini directly with any text editor:

[Settings]
hotkey = shift
scan_region = region
max_lookup_length = 25
glens_low_bandwidth = false
ocr_provider = Google Lens (remote)
auto_scan_mode = false
auto_scan_mode_lookups_without_hotkey = true
auto_scan_interval_seconds = 0.0
auto_scan_on_mouse_move = false
magpie_compatibility = false

[Theme]
theme_name = Nazeka
font_family = 
font_size_definitions = 14
font_size_header = 18
compact_mode = true
show_all_glosses = false
show_deconjugation = false
show_pos = false
show_tags = false
show_kanji = true
show_examples = false
show_components = false
color_background = #2E2E2E
color_foreground = #F0F0F0
color_highlight_word = #88D8FF
color_highlight_reading = #90EE90
background_opacity = 245
popup_position_mode = flip_vertically

Manual edits require restarting meikipop to take effect. Invalid values may cause the application to use defaults.

Get Started

User Guide

Advanced

Configuration file structure

Settings section

hotkey

scan_region

max_lookup_length

ocr_provider

glens_low_bandwidth

auto_scan_mode

auto_scan_mode_lookups_without_hotkey

auto_scan_interval_seconds

auto_scan_on_mouse_move

magpie_compatibility

Theme section

theme_name

Color settings

background_opacity

Typography settings

Display behavior

Content visibility toggles

Accessing the Settings dialog

Configuration tips

Manual config.ini editing

​Configuration file structure

​Settings section

​hotkey

​scan_region

​max_lookup_length

​ocr_provider

​glens_low_bandwidth

​auto_scan_mode

​auto_scan_mode_lookups_without_hotkey

​auto_scan_interval_seconds

​auto_scan_on_mouse_move

​magpie_compatibility

​Theme section

​theme_name

​Color settings

​background_opacity

​Typography settings

​Display behavior

​Content visibility toggles

​Accessing the Settings dialog

​Configuration tips

​Manual config.ini editing

Configuration file structure

Settings section

hotkey

scan_region

max_lookup_length

ocr_provider

glens_low_bandwidth

auto_scan_mode

auto_scan_mode_lookups_without_hotkey

auto_scan_interval_seconds

auto_scan_on_mouse_move

magpie_compatibility

Theme section

theme_name

Color settings

background_opacity

Typography settings

Display behavior

Content visibility toggles

Accessing the Settings dialog

Configuration tips

Manual config.ini editing