In-window search lets you search inside the currently focused application using Fluent Search. Instead of hunting through a complex UI with your mouse, type what you're looking for and Fluent Search will find clickable elements like tabs, buttons, links, and menu items within that app.

How to use it

  1. Focus the application you want to search in
  2. Press the In-window search hotkey (default: Ctrl + Alt + Shift)
  3. Start typing what you're looking for
  4. Select a result and press Enter to interact with that UI element (click a button, switch to a tab, open a link, etc.)

What it finds

In-window search uses Windows UI Automation to discover interactive elements within the focused application:

Element Type Search Tag Examples
Tabs Tab Browser tabs, editor tabs, settings tabs
Buttons Button Toolbar buttons, dialog buttons, action buttons
List items ListItem Items in lists, file lists, message lists
Hyperlinks HyperLink Clickable links in web content or UI
Text fields Edit Input fields and text boxes
Text elements Text Static text labels
Tree items TreeItem Items in tree views (file explorers, outlines)
Combo boxes ComboBox Dropdown menus
Toolbars Toolbar Toolbar areas
Pages Page Page containers

Each element type has its own search tag, so you can narrow your search. For example, type Tab + Tab → your query to search only tab elements.

How results work

  • Selecting a result previews it — for tabs, this switches to the tab; for other elements, it may highlight or focus them
  • Pressing Enter invokes (clicks) the selected element
  • Results are ranked with tabs getting the highest priority, since tab switching is the most common use case

Difference from "Search in app content" (Windows Search App)

Feature In-Window Search Windows Search App (content search)
Scope Only the currently focused window All open windows
Activation Dedicated hotkey (Ctrl + Alt + Shift) Part of general search with Windows tag
Best for Quick actions within the current app Finding elements across all open apps

Tips

  • Browser tabs — In-window search is one of the fastest ways to find a specific browser tab when you have dozens open
  • Complex applications — Use it in apps with many menus, tabs, or panels (like IDEs, email clients, or design tools) to quickly navigate without your mouse
  • Combine with tags — Use element type tags (like Button or HyperLink) to narrow results when there are many UI elements
  • If in-window results feel incomplete, some applications may not fully support UI Automation. Try using the regular search with the Windows tag or Screen Search as alternatives
  • You can also use Alt + T to jump to the search tags area and further narrow results