Google tests Apple Spotlight-like search bar on PCs with a new Windows app

Google's experimental Windows app adds a Spotlight-like search bar with Lens, AI Mode, and Drive integration for faster local search and web results

Google is rolling out a new experimental search app for Microsoft Windows that brings an Apple’s Spotlight-styled search bar design to the desktop. According to Google, the app is currently available for personal accounts and aims to simplify how users search for files, apps, and web results without breaking their workflow.

 

According to Google’s blog, the new app can be launched by pressing “Alt + Space” shortcut, pulling up a search bar that you can use to look through files stored locally, content saved in Google Drive, installed apps, and the web. Once installed, the tool plants a movable and resizable search bar on the desktop, which can be minimised using the same shortcut. 

 

 

One of its highlights is the integration of Google Lens. This allows users to capture and search images or text directly from their screen. Lens support also enables translation of foreign text, quick lookups for visual content, and even helps with homework problems, making the feature more versatile than a standard search bar.

 

The company said that, like the web version of Google Search, the Windows app lets users switch between categories such as All results, AI Mode, Images, Shopping, and Videos. The AI Mode offers more conversational, context-rich responses, with the option to explore follow-up queries and links for deeper information. Users can also toggle between light and dark themes, and even adjust the shortcut key under the configuration menu.

 

 

It’s similar to the Spotlight on Mac, which can help you search through your files, apps, and the web. Windows has long had a built-in feature that lets you search through your files and the web, but it recently upgraded this capability with the launch of Copilot Plus PCs.