Microsoft is currently building a new Spotlight-like launcher app for Windows 10. Designed to replace the existing Win + R shortcut, the new launcher will include options to quickly search apps and files across Windows and support for plugins like calculators, dictionaries, and search engines.
The software giant has been working on the launcher since January, and an initial public beta is planned for May. An early version of the launcher will support basic search tasks that are typically handled by the built-in Windows Start menu search functionality. But there are plans to make this a more powerful launcher that’s similar to Alfred on macOS and more functional than Apple’s Spotlight search.
For most Windows users the Start menu search will be enough, as it acts as a basic launcher of sorts. Power users demand more, and the built-in search doesn’t include plugins or the ability to add custom web searches, snippets, and more. The Start menu search also forces you into Bing search results and opens the Edge browser for any web queries.
Microsoft is working with the open-source community and apps like Wox to integrate plugins. UX designer Niels Laute created a concept design for the launcher back in February, and Microsoft is adopting some of Laute’s code so the launcher has a modern design.
It’s one of many PowerToys that Microsoft is actively developing, and Microsoft is looking for help naming the app. Microsoft originally brought back PowerToys last year to allow anyone to improve Windows 10 for power users, and the first set arrived in September. Microsoft originally introduced the concept of PowerToys back in Windows 95. The apps were a quick way for Windows engineers to test prototype features, and Microsoft soon packaged some of the best ones into PowerToys bundles.
The current Win + R functionality is outdated and used by Windows power users to launch cmd prompts, regedit, powershell instances, and even shortcuts to areas in Windows like the Control Panel. This new launcher will support all of the same commands that Run does currently in Windows, but the hope is that it will be a powerful alternative that the community of Windows power users can build on.
Comments
Dope.
By apay on 04.17.20 11:32am
Windope.
By greg2k on 04.18.20 11:57am
This looks sweet. I currently use ueli to replicate Spotlight since I missed it so much from my Mac.
By glances on 04.17.20 11:33am
I wonder how much they’ll be able to integrate with various browsers since that’s my primary application on Windows.
By KnownHuman on 04.17.20 11:38am
Looks awesome, can’t wait for this. One of two things that Mac has that I’m jealous of, the other being Preview, which I’ve remedied with QuickLook.
By Rev on 04.17.20 11:42am
I’ve tried QuickLook but it lags. I wish Microsoft would implement the feature natively.
By apay on 04.17.20 11:45am
Quicklook works really well for me, I only wish it worked across all windows. For example if you download a zip file without extracting it, you can’t use Quicklook on the contents. Or if you’re adding a file through an applications explorer integration, it won’t fire. There’s definitely room for Microsoft to make a first party iteration for it.
By glances on 04.17.20 11:59am
Yea I’ve got a workstation with SSD’s only and my bootdrive is an NVME, but QuickLook still lags.
By envoy on 04.18.20 11:33am
Sounds cool, but one thing that bothers me is the keyboard shortcut. Win + R is such an awkward combination for my fingers. I wish Windows had an option to remap keyboard shortcuts similar to the one macOS has.
By deomkds on 04.17.20 11:42am
I’m hoping there will be customization on shortcuts here, but we can always suggest it. They’re really looking at feedback for it and the community is driving a lot of where it’s heading already.
By Tom Warren on 04.17.20 11:49am
Take a look at a small background app called AutoHotKey. You can remap any combination to behave like another. In essence high jacking key presses to behave like any other key presses you want.
By Ysleiro on 04.18.20 4:19am
I’m not sure that Win+R bothers me, but I’d second the option to customise the launch shortcut (caps lock gets my vote!)
By AskJarv on 04.17.20 12:13pm
It’s not just Win + R to me… Kinda wanted to change Print Screen and a bunch of other shortcuts just to make them the same on every OS I use. Caps Lock would be nice for launching stuff though
By deomkds on 04.17.20 12:39pm
Have you looked into AutoHotkey?
I have remapped all the shortcuts to my pleasure using it.
By Ysleiro on 04.18.20 4:18am
You can use SharpKeys to change CapsLock to a modifier key.
By geoken on 04.17.20 2:23pm
is WIN+space in use? Might as well leverage the macOS version.
By whlr on 04.17.20 3:14pm
Yeah currently this tabs between keyboard layouts you have (Spanish, German, Colemak for example). But I think you can edit this to any other key combo in the Win 10 settings (not control panel).
By Under Goat on 04.18.20 12:06pm
Seconded.
Thankfully the shortcut for Powertoys Launcher is Ctrl+Win , so easier than Win+R.
By qubit5 on 04.18.20 4:51am
You can’t remap keyboard shortcuts on Windows??? That’s like the most basic power user customizability feature I can possibly imagine.
By Tyler-Intek on 04.18.20 11:14am
Honestly I kinda just wish this replaced the function of the windows button altogether. This seems like the route they should have been moving towards as a core function.
By BlatantNinja23 on 04.18.20 7:22pm
I don’t understand why this and Win+S would coexist. Seems like they should pick one or the other once it makes it out of PowerToys.
If anyone hasn’t tried the newest version of PowerToys, you should. FanzyZones is awesome for portrait monitors.
By Omen_20 on 04.22.20 12:38pm
My favourite way to launch apps on my Mac. Command-Space, start typing, hit return when the app I want appears.
By lunarworks on 04.17.20 11:45am
Is it really that different from: Windows key, start typing, hit enter to launch an app?
That’s actually one key less.
By BlackToe on 04.17.20 1:01pm
That works too.
By lunarworks on 04.17.20 1:25pm
That is if it finds the app…
By eduardobragaxz on 04.17.20 2:38pm