# Flow Launcher

> Free, open-source app launcher and file search for Windows

Flow Launcher is a free, open-source launcher for Windows. A hotkey, Alt+Space by default, opens a search window that launches apps, finds files through Everything or Windows Search, runs web searches, system commands and shell commands, and does calculations. Community-made plugins, installed from a built-in Plugin Store, add further search sources such as Spotify, Steam and Obsidian.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** Flow Launcher Team
- **Website:** https://www.flowlauncher.com
- **Runs on:** Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Flow Launcher is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The whole app and its plugins are free and open source under the MIT license. The project asks for support through sponsorship.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Flow Launcher | $0 | The complete launcher as an installer or portable ZIP, or through winget, Scoop or Chocolatey. Sponsorship is optional. |

Read from https://www.flowlauncher.com/ on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Flow Launcher before buying.

## Key features

- **App and file search:** Search for and launch apps, and find files or file contents using Everything or the Windows index, from a window opened with a customizable hotkey.
- **Web searches and bookmarks:** Run a web search with your chosen search engine, open URLs and find bookmarks from different browsers.
- **System and shell commands:** Shut down, restart, sleep or lock the PC, search Windows and Control Panel settings, and run batch or PowerShell commands as Administrator or another user.
- **Plugin Store:** Install community plugins from the Plugin Store in Settings or by typing pm install. Plugins can be written in C#, F#, Python, JavaScript or TypeScript.
- **Dialog Jump:** Search for a file or folder and jump an Open or Save As dialog to its path. Alt+G points the dialog at the folder open in the active file manager.
- **Preview panel and themes:** F1 toggles a preview panel that can show media files as large images. Themes, window size, animation and sound can be changed, or you can build your own theme.

## Good for

- Windows users who want a keyboard launcher at no cost
- People who already use Everything or Windows Search and want it in a launcher
- Tinkerers who install or write their own plugins

## Worth knowing

- Windows only; the download section says it supports Windows 10 and later.
- On first install, Windows may raise a security warning because the code is not signed, according to the README.
- Integrations such as Spotify, Steam and Obsidian come from community-made plugins and not from the core app.
- Help comes through GitHub, Discord and Reddit, and the project is funded by sponsors.

## Works with

Everything, Windows Search, Spotify, Steam, Obsidian, GitHub, Home Assistant

**Tags:** Launcher, Open source, Keyboard-first, Calculator, File management

## Alternatives

- [Microsoft PowerToys](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys): Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flow-launcher-vs-microsoft-powertoys)
- [Listary](https://toolgpa.com/tools/listary): File search and app launcher for Windows with Quick Switch. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flow-launcher-vs-listary)
- [Ueli](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ueli): Cross-platform keystroke launcher for Windows, macOS and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flow-launcher-vs-ueli)
- [Raycast](https://toolgpa.com/tools/raycast): Keyboard launcher with extensions, clipboard history and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/flow-launcher-vs-raycast)
- [Everything](https://toolgpa.com/tools/everything): Instant file and folder name search for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/everything-vs-flow-launcher)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

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

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/flow-launcher
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).