Quick Menu
The Quick Menu is a lightweight popup window that gives you fast access to search, recent results, pinned items, and search tags — without opening the full search window. It appears near your mouse pointer and is designed for rapid, context-aware interactions.
Opening the Quick Menu
The Quick Menu supports three trigger methods. Configure them in Settings → Quick menu.
Keyboard hotkey
Assign a global hotkey (e.g., Ctrl+Space) to toggle the Quick Menu. By default, it opens next to your mouse pointer. Disable Open next to mouse pointer to open it at a fixed position instead.
Mouse trigger
| Option | How to trigger |
|---|---|
| Left + Right click | Press both mouse buttons simultaneously |
| Double middle-click | Double-click the middle mouse button (within 200ms) |
Touchpad gesture
| Option | Gesture |
|---|---|
| Three-finger tap | Tap the touchpad with three fingers |
| Four-finger tap | Tap the touchpad with four fingers |
After selecting a touchpad gesture, click Configure Windows touchpad tap gesture to apply the required system settings. This writes to the Windows Precision Touchpad registry and restarts Explorer to take effect.
Note: Touchpad gestures require a Windows Precision Touchpad. After configuration, the gesture sends a hidden hotkey that Fluent Search intercepts.
Quick Menu layout
When the Quick Menu opens with an empty search box, you see the home screen:
- Recent results — the most recent results from each enabled Search App (e.g., your last opened apps, files, browser tabs)
- Pinned search tags — tags you've pinned for quick access (e.g., a specific bookmarks folder or file directory)
- Pinned results — individual results you've pinned with
Ctrl+Alt+P - Suggested results — contextual suggestions (can be hidden via settings)
As you type in the search box, these sections are replaced by live search results, just like the main search window.
Settings
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hotkey | (none) | Keyboard shortcut to toggle the Quick Menu |
| Open next to mouse pointer | On | With keyboard hotkey, opens the menu at your mouse position |
| Mouse trigger | Disabled | Mouse button combination to open the menu |
| Touchpad gesture | Disabled | Touchpad tap gesture to open the menu |
| Search in all results | On | Search all resources. When off, searches only in the focused app's context |
| Hide suggestions | Off | Hide the suggested results section on the home screen |
| Pinned search tags | (none) | Pin specific search tags to the Quick Menu home screen for one-tap access |
| Recent results | All enabled | Choose which Search Apps show their recent results |
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Escape | Close the Quick Menu |
| Alt+Enter | Open Fluent Search settings |
| Up/Down arrows | Navigate results |
| Apps key | Open context menu for the selected result |
| Start typing | Auto-focuses the search box |
Tips
- Pin your most-used search tags (e.g.,
bookmark,files) for instant filtered access. - Use "Search in all results: Off" to search only within the context of your current application — the Quick Menu watermark shows "Search in {current app name}".
- The Quick Menu auto-hides when you click outside it or switch to another window.
- Recent results come from Search Apps that support recent search (Apps, Files, Browser, etc.). You can disable individual apps from the settings.