Flow Launcher — Fast Open-Source Application Launcher for Windows

Introduction

Flow Launcher is an open-source keystroke launcher for Windows that lets you search files, launch apps, run system commands, and extend functionality through plugins. It is the actively maintained successor to the Wox launcher project.

What Flow Launcher Does

• Searches applications, files, and folders instantly via Everything integration
• Executes system commands, URLs, and shell commands from one search bar
• Supports 100+ community plugins for calculator, clipboard, bookmarks, and more
• Provides web search shortcuts with customizable search engines
• Indexes Windows settings and control panel items

Architecture Overview

Flow Launcher is a .NET-based desktop application that runs a lightweight overlay triggered by a global hotkey. It uses an indexing pipeline for installed apps and delegates file search to Everything (voidtools) for near-instant results. Plugins run as separate processes communicating via JSON-RPC, supporting both .NET and Python plugin development.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via winget, Scoop, or the portable ZIP from GitHub releases
• Runs on Windows 10/11 with .NET Desktop Runtime
• Configure hotkey, theme, and search settings via the built-in settings panel
• Plugin management is handled through the in-app plugin store
• Portable mode stores all configuration in the installation directory

Key Features

• Sub-100ms search results with Everything integration
• Extensible plugin system with Python and .NET SDK
• Customizable themes with community theme gallery
• Game mode to suppress the launcher during fullscreen apps
• Built-in preview panel for files and search results

Comparison with Similar Tools

• PowerToys Run — Microsoft-backed but fewer plugins and less customizable
• Wox — Flow Launcher's predecessor, now less actively maintained
• Alfred (macOS) — similar concept but macOS-only and partially proprietary
• Raycast (macOS) — powerful but closed-source and macOS-only
• Keypirinha — lightweight but has a smaller plugin ecosystem

FAQ

Q: Does Flow Launcher work on macOS or Linux? A: No. It is Windows-only. macOS users can use Alfred or Raycast; Linux users can use Ulauncher or Albert.

Q: Is Everything (voidtools) required? A: Not required, but strongly recommended for fast file search. Without it, file search falls back to slower Windows indexing.

Q: Can I write my own plugins? A: Yes. The plugin SDK supports .NET (C#/F#) and Python. A JSON-RPC interface lets plugins run as separate processes.

Q: How does it handle system resource usage? A: Flow Launcher typically uses under 50 MB of RAM while idle and activates only when the hotkey is pressed.

Sources

• https://github.com/Flow-Launcher/Flow.Launcher
• https://www.flowlauncher.com