Google Desktop was mainly for local file search. Shame that the idea never really took off, and even today local search is hopelessly broken on both Windows and Mac.
1970-01-01 · 13m ago
It did take off. There were server pizza boxes and everything. It was killed in 2011 by the very same company that is now introducing it as a "new app" in 2025.
The dead Internet theory continues to prevail. What is old is new again because nothing new can be created. The Hollywood reboots formula works, so we continue it with technology reboots.
stronglikedan · 4m ago
For Windows, Powertoys Run is great, but nothing beats Voidtools Everything for file search. It's an amazing piece of software that has retained the number one spot on Google search for the single term "everything" for an amazingly long time.
rs186 · 2m ago
If memory serves me right, it could look for information in Word documents and instant messaging apps extremely quickly and then display results in a great UI similar to google.com. Nothing before or after ever matched its capability. A real shame the product was killed. I guess there was no money to be made there.
Fool me once, ...
altonw · 4m ago
I wonder how an LLM built with this Google app would do compared to one built with Recall data. Even though it might not get the same raw info as Recall I see it having more than enough to be competitive.
nine_k · 36m ago
Press Alt+Space to activate? Nobody activate window menus from keyboard any more?
omeromr · 53s ago
I remapped it to Scroll Lock.
saelthavron · 19m ago
Many people don't know how to cut and paste via the keyboard. The vast majority aren't even aware of Alt+Space. The only reason I use Alt+Space is to recover windows from off-screen areas.
xnx · 11m ago
You can also activate by clicking the "G" system tray icon.
EvanAnderson · 32m ago
I do, every day. It's part of my muscle memory to maximize windows.
xnx · 12m ago
It's a little annoying that this Google app steals the alt+space shortcut, but you can remap it.
If they can index google photos and gmail too then I might try.
stronglikedan · 1m ago
[delayed]
frfl · 25m ago
If you have the top market position already in browsers and search, pretty easy to get people onto a product like this regardless of whether better alternatives exist.
balls187 · 22m ago
Isn't that how MS and Google lost anti-trust cases?
TheRoque · 15m ago
On KDE plasma, there's KRunner (Alt + Space default), also pretty neat.
DashAnimal · 19m ago
Ok gave this a try. Actually pretty handy. I wish I didn't clean up my Windows PC so I could compare indexing of files, but it did a good job of finding most things but the things I searched for Windows was able to find too. But its nice to have an easy shortcut to Google search and also having Google Lens on my PC to translate text, ask questions about a screenshot etc. I love this feature on my android.
The UI is a little annoying at times. Some apps receive the alt+space key so it doesn't always behave like you expect.
Checking Task Manager it used about 43MB of memory whether running as a background process or in the foreground, showing search results.
4899641178855 · 2m ago
While I'm at it, let me mail my hard drives and birth certificate to the Google offices.
sigmar · 19m ago
Bet they're anticipating that at some point in the future they might want gemini to interface with your PC (ala Claude's "computer use" and openai's "operator")
nwhnwh · 51m ago
"to help you find what you need, faster" yeah, I know you care about me, google.
herf · 40m ago
"Try it for yourself by opting into the experiment in Labs."
This is a really confusing call to action.
stronglikedan · 18m ago
Given the context, it seems unambiguous to me.
paxys · 21m ago
What is confusing about it?
zb3 · 2m ago
What about releasing the source of Android 16 QPR1 instead? Forgot about that one?
xnx · 1h ago
Glad to see Google bring back an official search bar to Windows after discontinuing Google Desktop in 2011. IIRC ctrl,ctrl was the shortcut to pop up that search bar.
Now if only Google would bring back the Google One Windows VPN client.
eviks · 49m ago
> instantly search for information from ... of course, the web.
Why would I need random web garbage when searching my "computer files, installed apps, Google Drive files" (even apps don't fit, but at least that's a tiny set)
babypuncher · 16m ago
This is my biggest problem with a lot of modern desktop search.
Search in the Start Menu has been doing this by default for years. If I wanted to search the internet, I would have used the search box in my browser that is already open 24/7.
This doesn't add any convenience, it just pollutes search results with irrelevant garbage.
But the goal with these things isn't to provide a better user experience. It's to juice engagement metrics, because our industry sucks.
I'm pretty sure you can configure said desktop searches to exclude web results. At least on KDE it's pretty easy to do, one box to untick.
hulitu · 41m ago
For your security and convenience. Google has access to your Android phone, but, there are evil people who use computers. Google would like to know - like Microsoft and Apple - what are those people doing with their computers. /s
stronglikedan · 14m ago
Sorry Google, but Alt+Space is already used by Powertoys Run. At least have the decency to pick a combo that isn't already being used by your competition. So classless, but I suppose that's par for the course.
(I know the hotkey combo is customizable, but it's still offputting that they chose that one.)
xnx · 9m ago
alt+space was already a Windows window menu hotkey since Windows 3.1
qwertytyyuu · 41m ago
Maybe if can index my files as well, better than microsft
lysace · 32m ago
Is it too cynical to assume that their goal is to get more data for their LLMs?
freedomben · 30m ago
No I'm sure that's part of it. Also about gaining market share.
TiredOfLife · 36m ago
I get "Search Labs isn’t available for your account right now"
Seeing the Google Labs name brought back bad memories. Google had an amazing app called Google Talk. It was small, fast and you could chat from your computer to somebody's Gmail account. But then Google announced labs version of google talk. It was slow and broke local video playback. And then that was replaced with a crappy extension you had to run in their browser thus ending Googles short small useful app story.
Toby1VC · 30m ago
Please make it so downvotes (thumbs down) requires a double click. I don't want to send hurtful signals when I accidentally hit that.
dominicrose · 2m ago
First you would have to have the permission to downvote.
addicted · 40m ago
Install Google For Windows...
until Lucy pulls the football again.
How does Google expect anyone to trust them.
I absolutely loved the Google Windows search app, and even went as far as fighting for our org to install the google appliance, only for Google to pull the rug out from under us.
They have Exchange solutions working for over 2 decades but the Google Appliance barely lasted 5 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Desktop#Results_list:_t...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/283722910233
https://web.archive.org/web/20060112110931/https://desktop.g...
The dead Internet theory continues to prevail. What is old is new again because nothing new can be created. The Hollywood reboots formula works, so we continue it with technology reboots.
Fool me once, ...
- Microsoft PowerToys Run https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys
- Keypirinha https://github.com/Keypirinha/Keypirinha
- Flow Launcher https://github.com/Flow-Launcher/Flow.Launcher
If they can index google photos and gmail too then I might try.
The UI is a little annoying at times. Some apps receive the alt+space key so it doesn't always behave like you expect.
Checking Task Manager it used about 43MB of memory whether running as a background process or in the foreground, showing search results.
This is a really confusing call to action.
Now if only Google would bring back the Google One Windows VPN client.
Why would I need random web garbage when searching my "computer files, installed apps, Google Drive files" (even apps don't fit, but at least that's a tiny set)
Search in the Start Menu has been doing this by default for years. If I wanted to search the internet, I would have used the search box in my browser that is already open 24/7.
This doesn't add any convenience, it just pollutes search results with irrelevant garbage.
But the goal with these things isn't to provide a better user experience. It's to juice engagement metrics, because our industry sucks.
https://fratellobigio.com/posts/make-windows-search-fast-aga...
(I know the hotkey combo is customizable, but it's still offputting that they chose that one.)
Seeing the Google Labs name brought back bad memories. Google had an amazing app called Google Talk. It was small, fast and you could chat from your computer to somebody's Gmail account. But then Google announced labs version of google talk. It was slow and broke local video playback. And then that was replaced with a crappy extension you had to run in their browser thus ending Googles short small useful app story.
until Lucy pulls the football again.
How does Google expect anyone to trust them.
I absolutely loved the Google Windows search app, and even went as far as fighting for our org to install the google appliance, only for Google to pull the rug out from under us.
They have Exchange solutions working for over 2 decades but the Google Appliance barely lasted 5 years.