Flow Launcher
A quick file search and app launcher for Windows with community-made plugins.
- Stars
- 15.9k
- Forks
- 671
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- C#
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Flow Launcher is a free, open-source search tool for Windows. You press a hotkey, type a few letters, and it finds apps, files, bookmarks, web searches, system commands and more. Community-made plugins can add extra sources.
- Launch an installed application by typing part of its name
- Search files and file contents, with Everything or the Windows Index as supported sources
- Calculate a result and copy it to the clipboard
- Run a batch or PowerShell command, including as Administrator with Ctrl+Shift+Enter
- Jump to a saved folder or a file path in an Open/Save dialog with Alt+G
Great for
- Windows users who open apps and files mostly by typing
- People who want a keyboard-first way to run system commands like shutdown or lock
- Users who want to search browser bookmarks and web queries from one box
- People who want to extend a launcher with plugins
Not ideal for
- macOS or Linux users, since the project is described as a Windows launcher
- People who want a mouse-driven start menu replacement with no setup
- Users who need every plugin to be vetted, since plugins are community-made and the README does not describe a review process
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Windows 10 or later
Install with Winget
winget install "Flow Launcher"Install with Scoop
scoop install Flow-LauncherInstall with Chocolatey
choco install Flow-Launcher - 2
Run it
- Install using the Installer, Portable zip, Winget, Scoop, or Chocolatey
- Launch Flow Launcher
- Press the hotkey shown in its settings or the README hotkeys section and start typing
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use Everything or Windows Index as search sources for faster file search
- Turn on the preview panel with F1 or the Always Preview setting to view files and markdown in results
- Save frequent folders in the Explorer plugin for quick access
- Use Priority settings to order results from each plugin
- Browse community plugins and themes to extend the launcher
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Covers apps, files, bookmarks, web searches and system settings in one search box
- Extensible through community plugins and supports multiple languages
Trade-offs
- Windows only, according to the README
- The README notes Windows may warn about unsigned code on first install
- Plugin quality and safety depend on each plugin's author
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow.Launcher (this) | 15.9k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Windows users who open apps and files mostly by typing |
| ohmyzsh | 190k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | People who already use zsh and want a ready-made configuration without writing it from scratch |
| nylas-mail | 24.7k | App | advanced | 4 months ago | Developers curious about how an extensible Electron and React desktop app is structured |
| excalidraw | 135k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Teams sketching diagrams or wireframes together in a shared canvas |
| yazi | 43.2k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who already spend time in a terminal and want a faster way to browse folders |
| cmder | 27k | App | beginner | 10 days ago | Windows users who want a nicer, tabbed command-line window |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.