Google has mostly shied away from making its own native desktop apps — even going so far as to require users to continue loading up a web browser to use tools like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and more. Now, though, it looks like the company is breaking that streak with its new Google app for Windows.
Google says that the goal of the app is to “help you find what you need” and do so much faster than you could previously. It’s very reminiscent of other Windows apps like Everything, which are built around providing a way to quickly search for files, folders, and more on your computer. However, in Google’s case, the new Google app for Windows does that and so much more.
On top of letting you search your local files, Google says that the app will also allow users to search for files in your Google Drive as well as search for information on the internet itself. The app is part of an ongoing Google Search Labs experiment, and it is currently only available for Windows. If you want to try it out, you’ll need to activate the experiment first and then click Download app.
Google power at the press of a button
One significant benefit to an app like this is that it can be operated with a simple set of keyboard shortcuts. To pull up the search bar, all you need to do is press Alt + Space, and then you can start typing whatever you need to find into the bar. The app will group up search results from the web, your local files, and Google Drive. It does rely on a single account, though, so you won’t be able to search multiple Google accounts for the file you need.
The app also has Google Lens built directly into it, which means you can select and search anything on your screen at any time, just like you would on an Android phone that utilizes Google’s Gemini AI features like Circle to Search. The benefit here, of course, is that you can easily translate images and text, or use Google’s AI Mode to get help answer questions and explain concepts.
The app is also fairly customizable. Once you install it on your computer, you can tap your profile picture to open up a menu that features options to change the theme from light to dark, configure the keyboard shortcut for activating the app, and change the app’s access to your Drive and local files at any time. You’ll need at least a Windows 10 PC to use the app.