Subj : Hate Windows Search? Google's new Spotlight-style app could final To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Wed Sep 17 2025 14:45:10 Hate Windows Search? Google's new Spotlight-style app could finally be the fix you need Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:32:06 +0000 Description: Googles new Windows app offers desktop search and Google Lens functionality for your PC. FULL STORY ======================================================================Google has just a launched a new search app for Windows It comes with a built-in search tool that can quickly find your files Its currently experimental and isnt available for everyone I use both Windows 11 and macOS Tahoe in my day-to-day life, and comparing them lets me see how they stack up against each other. One area where Windows is far behind is search (especially now that Apple has powered up Spotlight ), and if theres one aspect thats guaranteed to make you pull your hair out when using Microsofts system, its this. But hope is on the horizon. It comes not as an update from Microsoft that fixes Windows shoddy search tool, but in the form of an app from Google that picks up the slack instead. Thats because Google has just released an experimental new app that brings the companys search prowess to your desktop. As described in an official blog post , the Google app has arrived on Windows, and it has a built-in search feature that can scan your installed apps and computer files to locate what youre after. Its search can also cover Google Drive and the web, too, in case youre not just on the hunt for something on your PC, while the included Google Lens functionality lets you look up, search for and translate anything on your screen. Putting Googles search skills to use on your computer already gives me hope that itll outperform Windows own search tool (although that wouldnt be difficult). But the icing on the cake is the way you invoke Googles search box: by pressing the Alt and Space keys together. That mimics macOSs Command-Space shortcut, which launches the similar Spotlight search tool, and gives you an easy-to-remember key combination that you can bring up anywhere and anytime you need it. Showing promise (Image credit: Microsoft) Ive grown so sick of Windows lousy search tool that I long since gave up on it, and instead I now use an app called Everything . This indexes your drives and pulls up real-time search results as you type, and its power and ease-of-use have made it one of my favorite must-install apps. The problem, though, is that Everything looks and feels pretty dated, and it can take a while to load as it indexes any new changes. My hope is that the Google desktop app can one day replace Everything on my PC, giving me a Mac-like search tool that is simple to launch yet deeply powerful. That said, the Google app is an experimental offering at the moment, so it might not be without its fair share of bugs and quirks. Its also only available through Googles Search Labs program, which is not available to everyone users based in the UK like myself cant use it yet, for example. Still, it looks like the app has a lot of promise. If it can provide a more competent alternative to Windows built-in search tool, Im all for it. You might also like Windows 11 search just got more powerful courtesy of Copilot - and I think this is a great use of AI, even if there'll still be haters Hate Windows 11s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC Don't trust Windows 11's Recall feature? A new report will only harden your resolve to never use the AI-powered search ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/hate-windows-search-googles-new-spotlight- style-app-could-finally-be-the-fix-you-need --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .