Google’s experimental Windows app aims to remove the friction of switching windows to look something up — a floating, Spotlight‑like search bar you summon with Alt + Space that can search local files, installed apps, Google Drive, and the web, and that folds in Google Lens and the company’s AI...
accessibility
admin controls
ai mode
ai-assistant
ai-assisted
ai-mode
aimode
alt space
alt space hotkey
alt space launcher
alt+space
alt-space
altspace
app
beta
closed-source
cloud-ai
cloudsearch
command palette
cross surface search
dark mode
data privacy
data-privacy
desktop
desktop search
desktop-app
desktop-search
desktopsearch
drive
drive integration
drive-integration
driveintegration
enterprise
enterprise privacy
enterprise readiness
enterprise-it
everything vs google
experimental
filesearch
gemini
gemini ai
generativeai
google
google app windows
google app windows labs
google drive
google drive integration
google lens
google lens desktop
google search labs
google-drive
google-lens
googledrive
googlelens
governance
integration
itadmin
keyboard first
keyboard shortcut
keyboard shortcuts
keyboard-first
keyboard-launcher
keyboard-shortcut
keyboard-shortcuts
keyboardshortcuts
labs
labs experiment
launcher
launcher overlay
lens
lens integration
lens-capture
local and cloud search
local files
local indexing
local search
local search windows
local-files
local-search
localsearch
microsoft copilot
multimodal
multimodal ai
multimodal search
multimodal-ai
ocr
open-source
os search ux
os shell
osintegration
overlay
overlay app
overlay launcher
overlay ui
performance
permissions
powertoys
powertoys run
privacy
privacy concerns
privacy-safety
privacyconcerns
productivity
productivity tools windows
screen capture lens
search
search labs
search-labs
searchlabs
security
spotlight
spotlight style search
spotlight-like
spotlight-like launcher
spotlight-like search
spotlight-style
spotlight-style search
spotlightlike
spotlightstyle
start menu
telemetry
translation
unified results
unified search
unified search results
unified-search
unifiedsearch
user interface
ux design
visual search
visual-search
visualsearch
web results
web search
web search integration
web-search
webresults
websearch
windows
windows 10+
windows desktop app
windows launcher
windows search
windows search alternative
windows ux
windows-10
windows-11
windows-app
windows10
workflow
workspace support
A prominent tech writer has publicly abandoned the Windows 11 Start menu in favor of Flow Launcher, an open‑source, keyboard‑first app launcher — and in doing so rekindled a long‑running debate about how Windows should expose search, system commands, and shortcuts to power users. The transition...
alt+space
chocolatey
enterprise deployment
everything search
files and apps search
flow launcher
flow launcher plugins
keyboard launcher
media control
open source
package managers
plugin ecosystem
power users
privacy and security
scoop
spotify plugin
windows start menu
winget
In an unexpected turn of events, Microsoft has decided to shake things up for its users by commandeering one of the most beloved keyboard shortcuts—Alt+Space—to promote its Copilot feature. This latest move, which involves transitioning Copilot from a Progressive Web App (PWA) to a native...