Abstract: A yarn winding machine for winding a continuously advancing yarn into packages, the yarn being guided in a yarn traversing mechanism which includes a traversing unit and a grooved roll downstream thereof in the direction of the advance of the yarn. To transfer the yarn from a full package mounted on one winding spindle to an empty tube mounted on another winding spindle, the spindle mounting the full yarn package is moved to a doffing position and the spindle mounting the empty winding tube is moved to the winding position. The machine is provided with a yarn deflection device, which comprises a guide plate extending parallel to the circumference of the grooved roll, and a yarn guide adapted for movement in a direction parallel to the winding spindles.