Launchy 2.5

Winner Best software in 2014 - Launchers.

Overview

Searching your files and programs through Startup menu, File Manager or numerous icons on Desktop can be time consuming and even distressing during urgent work. To get rid of this problem, you can resort to Launchy which is a very easy-to-use application launcher capable of searching your entire system for files, folders, and programs with only few keystrokes. What’s more to this is that you can also search for websites by simply typing in its address in Launchy’s interface and pressing enter. It silently sits in the background when not in use and opens up quickly on pressing Alt and Space keys.

Installation

Installation of Launchy is as simple and quick as using it. You need to select the type of mode you want to install for this utility; whether in normal mode or portable mode. Other than that, basic details need to be confirmed like the location of the setup, program’s shortcut path, and additional icons like Desktop Icon. In the last step, you can choose to launch the utility right away and also opt to view Launchy’s help guide. Following operating systems support it: Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7/ Windows 8 (32- bit and 64-bit).

Interface

The user interface of Launchy is minimal yet intuitive, showing only a search bar and settings icon. Regardless of this look, there are still many options in Settings window which can configure the appearance of Launchy. For instance, you can select various skins or themes like Mercury, Black glass, Quicksilver2, and more; enhance visual effects such as opaqueness of the window; and also when and how to display the window. ‘Catalog’ tab lets you add directories that need to be covered while performing search operation with Launchy.

Pros

Launchy indexes programs in the start menu of your computer and launches files, folders, documents, and even websites with just a few keystrokes. You don’t need to fuss around searching a single file out of hundreds of files scattered in your desktop, file manager or start menu. Simply press ‘Alt’ and ‘Space’ keys to invoke Launchy, enter the file or program name you want to open, then it will automatically list down similar names from which you can select your preferred program by pressing ‘Enter’ key. Moreover, it even lets you search websites, all you need to do is enter the address in the Search bar and press enter, it will quickly launch the website in your default browser.For hiding it, the same two keys (Alt+Space) or the ‘Escape’ key can be used.

This utility sits quietly in the background from the time it is installed and uses very low system resources, thus does not slows down system's performance.

You can also do settings for the appearance of Launchy’s window, for example, to display its window all the time, Hide Launchy when it loses focus, show its tray icon, always show Launchy on top, and even change the Hotkeys combination for opening it.

Visual effects can also be enhanced by increasing or decreasing the opaqueness factor and by selecting different skins (or themes) for its window including Mercury, Note, Quicksilver2, and more.

Besides all these useful settings it also offers other options to enhance your search; for instance, you can view the search results based on the value selected in ‘Suggestions display’, set the number of simultaneously visible and maximum suggestions, underline matched text, and give time (in ms) for auto open delay. Furthermore, it enables you to create catalog of areas in your system where permission of searching has to be granted, plus automatic updates for these catalogs can also be set at a specific duration.

Cons

None found here.

Alternatives

Other utilities which perform the same function and can be used as alternatives to Launchy are – Gnome Do, Listary, Quicksilver, and Find And Run Robot.

Conclusion

Launchy is designed in a way so that you don’t have to waste your time or efforts in searching files and folders from your computer. This lightweight utility works silently in the background, uses very small amount of CPU space and can be invoked quickly by pressing hotkeys. Most importantly, it makes your searching experience completely effortless, so it is highly recommended to all users who own computers loaded with innumerable files.

Winner Best software in 2014 - Launchers.