Apps Search App

The Apps Search App helps you find and launch applications installed on your computer. It's the "launcher" side of Fluent Search — if you know the name of what you want to open, you can get there in a few keystrokes.

What it searches

  • Applications installed from the Microsoft Store
  • Desktop applications (including traditional/legacy programs from Control Panel and Add/Remove Programs)
  • App shortcuts and .lnk files
  • Custom application paths you configure

Common use cases

  • Launch any installed app — type its name and press Enter
  • Run as administrator — select an app and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter
  • Open the app's install folder — press Ctrl + 2 on a selected result
  • Uninstall an application — press Ctrl + 3 to invoke the uninstaller
  • View recent files — expand an app result to see files recently opened with that application (pulled from Windows Jump Lists)

Search Tags

The Apps Search App creates a search tag for each installed application. This means you can type an app name, press Tab, and see results scoped to that app (such as recent files opened with it).

Additionally:

  • Apps — Focus search on installed applications only
  • Run — Emulate the Windows Run dialog: open paths, run commands, or launch apps by executable name

To use: Type the tag name → press Tab → type your query.

Result actions

Action Shortcut Description
Open App Ctrl + 1 Launches a new instance of the application
Open App As Admin Ctrl + Shift + Enter Launches the application with administrator privileges
Open App Folder Ctrl + 2 Opens the folder containing the app's executable
Uninstall App Ctrl + 3 Launches the application's uninstaller

When you expand an app result (by clicking the expand arrow), you'll see child results including:

  • Running instances of the app (processes)
  • Recently opened files from the Windows taskbar (Jump List items), each of which can be opened directly

Settings

Setting Description Default
Search legacy apps Include legacy programs and Control Panel applications in results On
Disable app background caching Reduces background resource usage, but newly installed apps won't be recognized until the next restart Off
Custom Apps Paths Add custom directories or .lnk/.exe files to be included in app search Empty

To access: Settings → Apps → Apps.

Tips

  • If you mostly use Fluent Search as an app launcher, keep Apps enabled in general search and consider setting other Search Apps to Search Tag Only to reduce noise.
  • For apps you launch frequently, consider assigning an App Hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys. App Hotkeys let you launch or switch to a specific application with a single key combination — like having a keyboard-based application dock.
  • Fluent Search prioritizes commonly-used applications (like Chrome, Edge, VS Code, WhatsApp, Telegram) in its suggestions.