Best Desktop Search Software

Compare the Top Desktop Search Software as of October 2025

What is Desktop Search Software?

Desktop search software is a tool that indexes the contents of a user’s computer—such as files, documents, emails, images, and archives—to enable rapid and precise searching across various data types. By building an index, these tools allow for lightning-fast queries, often supporting filters by file type, date, and content keywords. They commonly offer features like content preview, search result management (e.g., tagging or bookmarking), and compatibility with multiple formats including PDFs, Office files, archives, and more. Desktop search tools improve productivity by reducing the manual effort needed to locate files, serving professionals, researchers, students, and everyday users alike. They are designed to provide accurate, fast, and organized results, often operating silently in the background while keeping the index updated in real time. Compare and read user reviews of the best Desktop Search software currently available using the table below. This list is updated regularly.

  • 1
    Alfred

    Alfred

    Alfred

    Alfred is an award-winning app for macOS which boosts your efficiency with hotkeys, keywords, text expansion and more. Search your Mac and the web, and be more productive with custom actions to control your Mac. Launch applications and find files on your Mac or on the web. Alfred learns how you use your Mac and prioritises results. Save countless hours by using hotkeys, keywords and customising how you want to search your Mac and activity history. Jump in and browse, preview files and take action on them without lifting your fingers off the keyboard. With Alfred's Clipboard History and Snippets features, there's no need to type the same URLs or responses over and over. Use the Clipboard History to locate any text, image or file you copied earlier and paste it again. Create your own snippets and type a short abbreviation to auto-expand them into a full text snippet, saving yourself hours of typing in the long run!
    Starting Price: $39.73 one-time payment
  • 2
    SavantX SEEKER
    SEEKER revolutionizes the way organizations access and understand their data. With seamless integration of Generative AI, SEEKER enables frictionless access to vast knowledge repositories, providing actionable insights and uncovering hidden relationships and patterns.
    Starting Price: Enterprise Only
  • 3
    Curiosity

    Curiosity

    Curiosity

    Curiosity is a powerful search app that gives you one place to find all your files, emails, and apps. It eliminates the need for multiple searches, saving you time and increasing your productivity. With Curiosity, you can quickly find what you need, whether it's in a folder, email, or cloud app like Google Drive or Notion. It even searches inside files, images, and scans – and you can talk to your files, auto-reply to emails, ask questions, summarize meetings, and much more with the AI Assistant. The app also works as a launcher, so you can use a simple shortcut to open programs, join video meetings, search your clipboard history, or call up the AI Assistant. Fast and easy.
    Starting Price: €3.99/month
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