Spotlight is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is Vicinae, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Spotlight and many of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Spotlight are DocFetcher, Ulauncher, ueli and Cerebro.
High-performance native launcher for Linux built with C++ and Qt delivers fast keyboard-driven system access, an efficient modular core, built-in modules, support for server-side React or TypeScript extensions, and reuse of Raycast extensions with minimal changes.
Vicinae is the most popular Linux alternative to Spotlight.
DocFetcher is an Open Source desktop search application: It allows you to search the contents of files on your computer. — You can think of it as Google for your local files. The application runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and is made available under the Eclipse Public License.
Some users think DocFetcher is a great Spotlight alternative, some don't.
It's a great alternative for Linux users
Developed with the Electron framework, ueli is the type of tool that adopts simplicity, leaving out any unnecessary options and configuration settings. It creates an icon in the system tray at startup, where it sits silently throughout its runtime, without disturbing you with...
As the words "Electron framework" would imply, it's a surprisingly large download at 100-150MB (install size may be larger still) and since it's essentially a web browser running in the background; it may not be a good choice for those short on disk space or trying to squeeze all the performance out of their system.
Cerebro is an open source and free electron-based productivity software alternative to Alfred and Spotlight. It is focused on speed and good UI and UX. In most cases you don't even need to open another application, because you can see results right in Cerebro, like google...
Albert is a C++/Qt based desktop agnostic keyboard launcher that helps you to accomplish your workflows in a breeze. Its goals are usability and beauty, performance and extensibility.
Ever had a folder full of PDF files, where you knew, somewhere in there, is what you're looking for. But you did not know in which file. So you had to search each of them at a time…
Quite comfortable to use if you install KDE's Plasma.
Rofi started as clone of simpleswitcher, written by Sean Pringle a popup window switcher roughly based on superswitcher. Simpleswitcher laid the foundations and therefor Sean Pringle deserves most of the credit for this tool.
LaunchMenu is a free, open source, cross-platform search-based productivity software with similarities to Alfred and Cerebro. LaunchMenu focuses on customisability and extensibility , while also being easy to use through it's one slick interface.
Hasn't received updates since beta from 2021.
Your productivity level just sprouted wings. Find what you need easily, across your cloud services from one place. Formerly known as ChaseApp.
Zazu is a new open source productivity app, that allows developers to be in the drivers seat. Unlike other solutions, there is no built-in integrations, so every plugin has the full scope of what Zazu has to offer.
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It is not an alternative to Spotlight or to KRunner.