Windows 11’s built‑in search can be handy, but for many power users it’s long felt sluggish, cluttered with web suggestions, and inconsistent when dealing with non‑indexed folders or massive file collections — which is why dozens of lightweight, keyboard‑first launchers and indexers have sprung...
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 assistant
ai mode
ai-assistant
ai-assisted
ai-mode
ai-powered launcher
aimode
alt plus space
alt space
alt space hotkey
alt space launcher
alt+space
alt-space
altspace
app
app-experiment
beta
closed-source
cloud search
cloud-ai
cloudsearch
command palette
cross surface search
cross-platform
dark mode
data privacy
data-flow
data-privacy
desktop
desktop search
desktop-app
desktop-search
desktopsearch
drive
drive integration
drive-integration
driveintegration
end-user
enterprise
enterprise it
enterprise privacy
enterprise readiness
enterprise-it
enterprise-readiness
everything vs google
experimental
filesearch
gemini
gemini ai
generativeai
google
google app for windows
google app windows
google app windows labs
google apps
google drive
google drive integration
google lens
google lens desktop
google search
google search labs
google-drive
google-lens
googledrive
googlelens
governance
installed apps
integration
itadmin
keyboard first
keyboard shortcut
keyboard shortcuts
keyboard-first
keyboard-launcher
keyboard-shortcut
keyboard-shortcuts
keyboardshortcuts
labs
labs experiment
launcher
launcher overlay
launcher tool
launchers
lens
lens integration
lens ocr
lens-capture
local and cloud search
local and web search
local files
local indexing
local search
local search windows
local-and-web
local-files
local-search
localsearch
microsoft copilot
multimodal
multimodal ai
multimodal search
multimodal-ai
ocr
open-source
opt-in
os integration
os launcher
os search ux
os shell
osintegration
overlay
overlay app
overlay launcher
overlay ui
performance
permissions
power users
powertoys
powertoys run
privacy
privacy and security
privacy concerns
privacy-safety
privacyconcerns
productivity
productivity tools windows
screen capture lens
search
search labs
search-ecosystem
search-labs
searchlabs
security
spotlight
spotlight style
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 10+
windows 11
windows desktop
windows desktop app
windows launcher
windows search
windows search alternative
windows ux
windows-10
windows-11
windows-app
windows-labs
windows10
workflow
workspace support
Microsoft’s Copilot for Windows just took a meaningful step toward making file discovery and everyday assistance feel conversational: a staged Insider rollout now brings semantic file search to Copilot+ PCs and a redesigned Copilot home that surfaces recent apps, files and Vision-driven guided...
After the last update my custom theme changed to a default theme and I can't find a way to change it back to one of my own!
I get into Personalize and can't find anyway to search for a folder on my hard drives.
I can get themes from the net, but I can't find a search box that lets me search on...
Although Windows has evolved into a sophisticated, feature-rich operating system, even its most recent versions can leave users searching for essential tools that remain inexplicably absent from the default installation. Windows 11, for all of its polish and productivity advances, still requires...
Alright, I have a couple of issues that all came up the day after I ran a scan on my computer with Advanced System Care Pro. I've been using the product for a few months now without any issues. Now it seems like the computer is not recognizing my user settings. Here are my problems.
When I...
Hi - I'd like to perform file searches like they used to be in Windows XP. I could search for multiple file types by typing : *.xls, *.ppt, *.doc
and restrict the date, and even files that contained certain words within the files.
I can't seem to do this as well in Explorer for Win7pro, I can...
I've built my own application that searches for files and have set it to run as
administrator, however it won't read/detect most of the sys files in
c:\windows\system32\drivers. I did some checking and most cygwin EXEs
also have the same problem.
For example, if I cd to that directory and do...
Hi,
How would one go about searching for filenames starting with the '-' character?
e.g. -something.ext
i can search for image files created on a wednesday by left handed, pleasant smelling, polish plumbers whos fathers were members of the communist party and whos names were Mary..... but...
Hi
I've lost some work by opening an attachment from an e-mail, forgetting to save it locally, and then saving the document and closing. I think it's saved the updated file to a Temporary Internet File somewhere, but I can't find it.
I've tracked backwards by re-opening the original file from...