Google quietly dropped a native, Spotlight‑style search overlay for Windows that brings Google Search, Google Lens and an integrated AI Mode to the desktop — summoned by a single hotkey and gated as an opt‑in experiment in Search Labs.
Background
Google’s new “Google app for Windows” is an...
Google quietly shipped a small Windows app that, in one practical move, exposes how rough Microsoft’s built‑in search and launcher experience still is — and why third‑party solutions continue to outshine first‑party features on modern Windows desktops.
Background / Overview
In mid‑September...
Speed Up Windows 10/11 Search: Configure Indexing Options & Rebuild Index
Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 20 minutes
Introduction
Search speed in Windows can make a big difference to productivity. If Start menu searches or File Explorer searches are slow or returning incomplete...
Windows search has long been the green-eyed villain of productivity — slow to return results, hungry for resources, and a constant background presence that can chew battery life and CPU cycles. For users who’ve tried to tame or disable Microsoft’s indexer, the trade-off has been clear: fewer...
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 searchwindows
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
searchsearch 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
windowswindows 10
windows 10+
windows 11
windows desktop
windows desktop app
windows launcher
windowssearchwindowssearch alternative
windows ux
windows-10
windows-11
windows-app
windows-labs
windows10
workflow
workspace support
Microsoft's September cumulative for Windows 11 has landed and, rather than being a quiet maintenance release, it mixes visible UI polish, a handful of useful quality fixes and a fresh batch of staged, hardware-gated AI features — with one very practical sting in the tail: the cumulative...
Windows ships with capable, polished defaults — but for many real workflows the built‑in apps are the bottleneck: limited features, conservative design choices, and occasional performance problems leave gaps that small, focused third‑party tools fill quickly and cheaply. The six alternatives...
When File Explorer becomes the system’s biggest CPU hog after upgrading to Windows 11 24H2, it stops being a mild annoyance and starts costing time, battery life, and user confidence—with many users reporting sustained explorer.exe or related processes eating CPU even at idle. The problem is...
cpu usage
explorer.exe
file explorer
high cpu
indexing
kb5055627
malware check
onedrive
performance troubleshooting
process explorer
shell extensions
thumbnail cache
windows 11
windows 11 24h2
windowssearchwindows update
Microsoft’s Copilot now speaks file-finding: the Copilot app can search your recent local files and images using natural language, and a staged Windows Insider rollout has begun that puts semantic file search and a redesigned Copilot home in front of testers and early adopters.
Background...
Microsoft’s Copilot app for Windows has received a staged Insider update that adds conversational, semantic file search on Copilot+ PCs and a redesigned Copilot home that surfaces recent apps, files and conversations — all packaged in Copilot app builds starting with version 1.25082.132.0 and...
Microsoft has begun expanding a staged Insider preview that brings semantic file search to Copilot+ PCs and ships a redesigned Copilot home inside the Copilot app for Windows Insiders, packaging natural‑language file and image discovery alongside a new, context‑aware workspace that surfaces...
ai in windows
copilot home
copilot+
data governance
embeddings
enterprise it
file search
insider preview
npu
on-device inference
privacy
productivity
semantic file search
semantic indexing
staged rollout
vector search
vision sessions
windows copilot
windowssearch
Microsoft’s Windows could reclaim its place as the undisputed productivity platform in 2025 — but only if Microsoft stops prioritizing marketing nudges and gimmicks and instead delivers focused, enterprise-grade features that solve real workplace pain points now, not sometime next quarter...
This month’s Patch Tuesday isn’t just another round of security fixes — it’s a functional pivot for how Windows 11 helps you recover, control, and interact with your PC. Microsoft’s preview updates introduce Recall export and reset controls (EEA-only export), a system-level Quick Machine...
click to do
copilot+
data privacy
draft with copilot in word
eea
immersive reader
intune
it administration
on-device ai
patch tuesday
quick machine recovery
reading coach
recall
recall exports
settings agent
snap
start menu
windows 11
windowssearch
winre
Microsoft has quietly begun embedding three new Microsoft 365 “companion” apps into the Windows 11 taskbar — Calendar, File Search, and People — small, focused helpers designed to pull calendar events, corporate files, and contact details one click away from the desktop and reduce time lost to...
Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919 to the Canary Channel on August 8, 2025, bringing a consolidated Settings UI for Windows Search, a new "Find apps" reorganization in Settings, a handful of input and File Explorer fixes, and a set of notable known issues that Insiders...
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27919 to the Canary Channel, introducing a consolidated Windows Search settings page and addressing several issues.
Unified Windows Search Settings
In this build, Microsoft has streamlined the Windows Search settings by merging the "Search...
bug fixes
build 27919
canary channel
changjie input
changjie input method
channel transitions
copilot plus
dao360.dll
digital signatures
feedback hub
file explorer
flight hub
group policy editor
hindi phonetic
hindi phonetic keyboard
input method
input methods
insider preview
insider program
marathi phonetic
marathi phonetic keyboard
multi monitor
pin recovery
pin reset
pin setup
privacy & security
privacy and security
remote desktop
search settings
system stability
taskbar widgets
unified search settings
unified settings
widget issue
windows 11
windows 11 insider
windows hello
windows hello pin
windows insider blog
windowssearch
Microsoft’s modern Windows 11 experience aims to strike a balance between refined aesthetics and essential convenience, but seasoned users know there’s a persistent gap between what Windows natively delivers and what power users truly need. This gap is most evident in features like powerful...
always on top
color picker
fancyzones
file locksmith
keyboard shortcuts
microsoft windows
multitasking
os optimization
power user tools
powertoys
productivity tools
quick accent
system utilities
text extractor
user experience
window management
windows 11
windows customization
windows features
windowssearch
Windows 11 is once again reshaping its usability landscape, answering years of multi-monitor user frustration by finally bringing native notifications access to every display. For professionals, gamers, and productivity enthusiasts juggling more than one screen, this small yet long-awaited tweak...
accessibility
desktop experience
hybrid work
insider preview
microsoft updates
multi-display
multi-monitor setup
notification panel
notifications
productivity
system tray
task manager
taskbar
ui enhancements
user interface
windows 11
windows 11 features
windows copilot
windowssearchwindows updates
Locating your Office apps on a Windows device can feel like navigating a maze—especially given the evolution of both Windows and Office interfaces over the years. Fortunately, Microsoft has streamlined the process, making it straightforward for users of all experience levels. This article offers...
app troubleshooting
application launch
desktop shortcuts
file explorer
it support
microsoft 365
office apps
office discoverability
office installation
office shortcut
office troubleshooting
office version
search index
start menu
system optimization
windowswindows 10
windows 11
windowssearchwindows tips
Locating Microsoft Office applications within Windows environments is a simple but occasionally confusing task for both new users and those adjusting to updated versions of the operating system. Whether one is looking to launch Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access, Windows 10 and subsequent...