Spotlight for Windows
Spotlight is built into macOS and does not run on Windows. Windows has its own search in the Start menu (Win+S). For a Spotlight-style box in the middle of the screen, the choices are PowerToys Run or Command Palette (free, from Microsoft), Flow Launcher (free, open source), Raycast for Windows (free, with paid plans) and Nudge, which I make: press Alt+Space, type, and get the answer, for $4.99 once, or $2.99 during early access.
Spotlight vs Nudge
Spotlight on a current Mac next to Nudge on Windows. Where Spotlight does more, the table says so.
- 1 Nudge figures are measured on the release build on my own test PC. Tests on everyday mid-range PCs are still to come.
Who should pick which
Pick a free launcher if
- You only need apps and files: the Start menu search (Win+S) is already there.
- You want free: PowerToys Run, Command Palette and Flow Launcher cost nothing.
- You want clipboard history like Spotlight’s: Command Palette and Raycast have it.
Pick Nudge if
- You want the Spotlight habit on Windows: one key, type, answer.
- You want math, units, currency and time zones answered as you type.
- You want Windows commands in the same box: lock, sleep, toggles, kill a frozen app.
- You want nothing you type to leave your PC, and to pay once.
Questions people ask before they switch.
Does Windows have something like Spotlight built in?
Windows has search in the Start menu, opened with Win+S. It finds apps, files and settings. Spotlight-style launchers like Nudge open in the middle of the screen with one shortcut and answer math, conversions and commands as you type.
Can I open Nudge with the same keys as Spotlight?
Nudge opens with Alt+Space by default. On a Windows keyboard Alt sits next to the space bar, where Command sits on a Mac, so the reach is the same. You can change it in Settings.
Will it slow my PC down?
No. Nudge is a native Windows app, not a web page wrapped in a window like many desktop apps. On our test PC it uses about 55 MB of memory and opens in about 10 ms. It runs on Windows 10 and 11.
What data leaves my PC?
Nothing you type. There is no account and no tracking. Nudge only goes online to activate your licence and check it once a week, to look for updates, to list plugins, and to get the day's exchange rates when you convert currency. The rate request is the same for every user and carries nothing about you, and Settings → Privacy → Network features turns it off. The privacy policy lists each one.
Press Alt+Space. Type. Get the answer.
$2.99 during early access, then $4.99. Paid once, plus tax where it applies. No account, no subscription, and a refund within 14 days if it is not for you.