# Alternatives to Google Desktop

Local search and gadgets. Google Desktop has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

None of its 10 checklist rows are verified yet.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/google-desktop/
Category: App launchers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Windows users (and later Mac/Linux users) who wanted to search their own computer—files, emails, and browsing history—as easily as they searched the web.
- **What you get**: A background indexer that scanned local files, emails, chats, and viewed web pages to enable instant full-text search from a desktop search box. It also included a Sidebar panel that hosted small "Gadgets" (weather, photos, news, etc.) docked to the edge of the screen. Search results could surface Gmail messages and other web content alongside local files.
- **How it works**: After installation, Google Desktop ran continuously in the background indexing new and changed files, emails, and visited web pages; users then typed queries into a search box (or a keyboard shortcut) to get ranked results, or used the optional Sidebar to view gadgets.

## Profile


## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Albert](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/albert.md) | building | ? | macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Alfred](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/alfred.md) | building | Proprietary | macOS |
| 3 | [Flow Launcher](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/flow-launcher.md) | building | MIT | Windows |
| 4 | [LaunchBar](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/launchbar.md) | building | ? | macOS |
| 5 | [PowerToys Run](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/powertoys-run.md) | building | MIT | Windows |
| 6 | [Raycast](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/raycast.md) | building | ? | macOS, Windows, iOS, Browser extension |
| 7 | [ueli](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ueli.md) | building | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 8 | [Ulauncher](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/ulauncher.md) | building | GPL-3.0 | Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/