Windows Search App

The Windows Search App helps you find open windows and running applications so you can switch context quickly. Instead of Alt-Tabbing through everything, type what you're looking for and jump directly to it.

This Search App also offers a powerful in-app content search feature that lets you search inside open applications — finding specific browser tabs, buttons, links, and other UI elements without manually clicking through each window.

What it searches

  • Open windows — All visible windows and their titles
  • Running processes — Applications currently running on your system
  • In-app content (optional) — UI elements inside open windows: tabs, buttons, links, list items, text fields, and more

Common use cases

  • Switch to an open window — Type part of the window title and press Enter to switch to it
  • Find a specific browser tab — With content search enabled, type the tab title to find and switch to it
  • Close a window — Select it and press Delete
  • Kill a hung process — Press Shift + Delete to force-terminate
  • Open a new instance — Press Ctrl + N to launch another instance of the app
  • Navigate window history — Use configurable hotkeys to go forward/backward through your window usage history

Search Tags

Tag Description
Windows Search all open windows and processes
(process name tags) Each running process creates its own tag (for example, chrome, code)
Tab Search only tab elements inside applications
Button Search only buttons
ListItem Search only list items
HyperLink Search only links
Text Search only text elements
And more... Edit, TreeItem, ComboBox, Toolbar, Page

The UI element tags (Tab, Button, etc.) are especially useful when content search is enabled and you want to narrow down to a specific type of element.

Result actions

Action Shortcut Description
Switch to Window Ctrl + 1 Brings the window to the foreground and focuses it
Open Process Folder Ctrl + 2 Opens the folder containing the application's executable
Open New Instance Ctrl + N Launches a new instance of the application
Close Window Delete Closes the window gracefully (like Alt+F4)
Kill Process Shift + Delete Force-terminates the process (unsaved data may be lost)

When content search is enabled and you expand a window result, you'll see child results for UI elements inside that window (tabs, buttons, etc.). Selecting a child result invokes/clicks that element.

Search in app content

This is one of the most powerful features in Fluent Search. When enabled, it searches inside open applications using Windows UI Automation to detect interactive elements.

What it finds:

  • Browser tabs (including the specific page title)
  • Buttons and clickable elements
  • Links and hyperlinks
  • List items, tree items, and menus
  • Text fields and edit controls
  • And more

To enable:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Windows
  2. Enable Search in window content
  3. (Optional) Configure which element types to include or exclude in Content search type

How it works: Fluent Search uses Windows UI Automation to inspect the UI tree of open applications. When you select a content result, it invokes (clicks) that UI element — so selecting a browser tab switches to it, selecting a button clicks it, and so on.

Window history

Fluent Search tracks which windows you've used recently, creating a timeline you can navigate:

  • Go to previous window — Assign a hotkey to quickly switch back to the last window you used
  • Go to next window — Navigate forward through your window history
  • Show window history UI — Display a visual overlay of your recent window usage (enabled by default)

These hotkeys provide a more powerful alternative to Alt+Tab, especially when you're jumping between many applications.

Settings

Setting Description Default
Search in window content Search UI elements (tabs, buttons, links) inside open windows Off
Content search type Select which types of UI elements to search (Tab, Button, ListItem, etc.) Most types enabled
Ignored processes Processes to exclude from content search Empty
Show window history UI Display the window history overlay interface On
Go to previous window Hotkey for switching to the previous window in history Unset
Go to next window Hotkey for switching to the next window in history Unset
Prioritize current virtual desktop Boost results for windows on the active virtual desktop Off

To access: Settings → Apps → Windows.

Tips

  • Content search can be slower than normal window searching because Fluent Search needs to inspect each window's UI tree. For the best experience, disable content search for apps where you don't need it by adding them to the Ignored processes list.
  • If you don't need window/process results in everyday search, set Windows to Search Tag Only and use the Windows tag when you explicitly need to switch.
  • Virtual desktop users: Enable "Prioritize current virtual desktop" to see windows on your active desktop first.
  • For a more focused in-window experience, use the dedicated In-window search feature (default hotkey: Ctrl + Alt + Shift), which searches only inside the currently focused application.