Google's New Windows App: A Spotlight-Style Search for Your PC 

With the Google App for Windows, you can search across your local files, Google Drive, and the broader web

Image: Google

Google has just introduced a new desktop search application for Windows, designed to streamline your workflow by integrating file search and web browsing. The company announced it's currently testing an app similar to Apple's Spotlight, which will feature Chrome's AI Mode, Google Lens, and voice search capabilities. This new desktop tool is part of Google's experimental labs and is currently available to personal accounts for testing.

In a recent blog post, Google detailed this new search app, which essentially functions as a dedicated search bar. It combines the ability to search within your PC’s local files and Google Drive with traditional web searches. For years, Windows has had a built-in search bar with similar functionality, and its competitor, Mac, has the well-known Spotlight feature. This new Google app brings a similar, unified search experience to the Windows ecosystem. It also features a Chrome-like installation process, requiring you to sign in to your Google account before you can download it from the experimental labs.

The new search bar incorporates Google Lens, allowing you to select an image on your screen and search for it directly, a highly convenient feature that eliminates the need to open a separate browser window. The Google app for Windows is also highly customizable, giving you the freedom to drag the search bar to any position on your desktop. To quickly minimize it, you can simply press Alt + Space, and pressing the same key combination will bring it back up instantly. The app provides quick access to a range of search options, including Images, Shopping, Videos, and the new AI Mode.

Unleashing the Power of AI Mode

Just as Google Search has already integrated an AI Mode, the new “Google app for Windows” also includes this powerful feature. If you ever find yourself stuck or have a complex query, you can simply click on the AI Mode button, and it will provide you with a detailed, intelligent response. Imagine facing a difficult homework question; you can simply ask the Google AI Mode, and it will provide the solution or any other information you requested. This feature can also be easily enabled or disabled from the app's settings.

How to Get Your Hands on the New Google App for Windows

This new Google App is currently in the testing phase and can be accessed through the Search Labs experiment. At present, it is available exclusively to users in the United States and only in English. If you reside in a different country, you'll need to wait for a broader release. To run the app, your PC must be running Windows 10 or a newer version. Once the testing phase is complete, this powerful new tool will become available to the general public. Stay tuned for more updates!