Last year, Google announced that it was testing a Google desktop app for Windows that resembles macOS’s Spotlight feature, and now the app is available globally in English. You can download the app from Google’s website, and it works with PCs with Windows 10 or newer.
Google’s Spotlight-like desktop search bar for Windows is available for everyone
Search the web and what’s on your computer right from the app.
Search the web and what’s on your computer right from the app.
Image: Google
is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.
By pressing the Alt + Space shortcut, you can bring up the app, which lets you search both the web and files on your computer and on Google Drive. While searching, you can click through different views like All, Images, and AI Mode. If you want to ask Google questions about what you’re looking at on your computer, you can use Google Lens or share your screen.
It’s unclear if this app is coming to macOS or Linux, and Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. However, the company is reportedly testing a Gemini app for macOS — if released, that would compete with other AI chatbot apps on macOS such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
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