Google tests Spotlight-like AI search for Windows

17 Sep 2025

Google is testing a new Windows search app via Search Labs that brings a Spotlight‑like, always‑available search bar to the desktop. The app is installed with a Chrome‑style flow and requires signing into a Google account. Once running you can press Alt+Space to summon a resizable, draggable search bar that searches files on your PC, items in Google Drive, and the web. It also includes Google Lens for visual search and text translation, and an “AI Mode” that can help with tasks such as solving a highlighted math problem. Results can be filtered by All, AI Mode, Images, Shopping, Videos, and more, and the UI supports light and dark modes.

Google says the desktop search behaves much like its web search and is similar in purpose to Apple’s Spotlight and Microsoft’s Copilot features. You can minimize the bar with Alt+Space, toggle AI Mode on or off, and change the keyboard shortcut from the app’s configuration menu (via your profile). The experiment is available now in Search Labs for personal Google accounts in the US, in English only, and requires a PC running Windows 10 or later. Source