Commands Search App

Fluent Search Window

The Commands Search App lets you execute command-line instructions, system operations, and previously run commands directly from Fluent Search. No need to open a terminal window first — run commands as fast as you launch an app.

What it does

  • Run shell commands through your configured command-line interfaces (PowerShell, Cmd, Git Bash, WSL, etc.)
  • Execute system operations like shutdown, restart, sleep, lock, and media controls
  • Access command history to quickly re-run previously executed commands
  • Windows Run emulation to open paths, run executables, and expand environment variables

Search Tags

Tag Description
command General command search
Run Emulates the Windows Run dialog — run an executable, open a path, or expand environment variables
Powershell Run a command directly in PowerShell
Cmd Run a command directly in Command Prompt
(custom CLIs) Any additional command-line interfaces you configure

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

Examples:

  • Run + Tab → notepad.exe
  • Powershell + Tab → Get-Process
  • Run + Tab → %windir%\System32

System operations

When Search for system commands is enabled (on by default), Fluent Search can run OS-level operations:

Category Operations
Power Shutdown, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate, Lock
Media Play/Pause, Next track, Previous track, Volume controls
Display Screen off

System operations appear as results when you search for related terms (like typing "shutdown" or "restart"). Some operation groups can be expanded to show sub-operations.

Command history

Fluent Search automatically tracks commands you run and makes them searchable:

  • Start typing keywords from a previously run command to see it in results
  • Select a command from history and press Enter to re-run it
  • PowerShell history from PSReadLine is also imported, so commands you ran in external PowerShell sessions appear too

Result actions

Action Shortcut Description
Run Enter Executes the command
Run As Administrator Ctrl + Shift + Enter Runs the command with elevated privileges

Configuring command-line interfaces

You can add multiple CLIs so Fluent Search works with your preferred shell environments:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Commands → Command-Line Interfaces
  2. Click Add and provide:
    • Name — A descriptive label (for example, "Git Bash", "WSL Ubuntu")
    • Executable Path — Full path to the CLI executable
    • Arguments — Default arguments. Use %s as a placeholder where the search text should be inserted

Common CLI configurations:

CLI Executable Notes
PowerShell powershell.exe Default on most Windows systems
Command Prompt cmd.exe Classic Windows shell
Windows Terminal wt.exe Modern terminal host
Git Bash C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe Git for Windows
WSL wsl.exe Windows Subsystem for Linux

Setting a favorite CLI

You can designate one CLI as your favorite. The favorite CLI is used by other Search Apps for related operations — for example, when you open a file's parent folder in the command line from the Files Search App.

To set a favorite:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Commands → Command-Line Interfaces
  2. Click the star icon next to your preferred CLI

Settings

Setting Description Default
Search in Run Execute commands using the Windows Run mechanism On
Search for system commands Include system operations (shutdown, restart, media controls) in results On
Command Line Interfaces Configure available CLIs with name, path, and arguments PowerShell, Cmd

To access: Settings → Apps → Commands.

Tips

  • The Run tag is incredibly versatile — use it to open any path, run any executable, or type environment variable paths like %appdata% or %temp%
  • Use Ctrl + Shift + Enter when a command needs administrator privileges
  • If you frequently run the same set of commands, consider creating a Task to automate them
  • Set up your favorite CLI so that "Open in Command Line" from the Files Search App opens your preferred shell