Summon

Summon is a keyboard launcher. Press Alt+Space, a search bar appears in the middle of the screen, type a few letters and press Enter. Apps, files, folders, settings, bookmarks, open windows and web searches, without reaching for the mouse.

What it finds

Apps: everything in the Start menu, Microsoft Store apps and desktop shortcuts, with their real icons.
Windows settings pages and Control Panel items by name: "bluetooth", "display", "add or remove programs".
Files and folders in the folders you choose (Desktop, Documents and Downloads to begin with), plus recently opened files. Names and paths only; Summon never opens a file to read it.
Bookmarks from Chrome, Edge and Firefox, each of which can be switched off.
Open windows, so the bar doubles as a window switcher.
Forgiving matching: "vsc" finds Visual Studio Code, initials work, and so do one or two mistyped letters.
It learns: what you pick for a given set of letters is at the top next time, and what you use often and recently ranks higher.

Built in

Calculator as you type, with brackets, percentages and the usual functions. Enter copies the answer.
Unit conversions worked out on your PC: "12 in to cm", "5 kg to lb", "98.6 f to c".
Web searches by keyword: "g cats" for Google, "yt", "w", "maps" and more, or your own. They open in your default browser.
System commands: lock, sleep, restart, shut down, sign out, empty the Recycle Bin, Task Manager. Anything destructive asks first, in the bar, with Cancel selected.
"> ipconfig" runs a command line; a typed or pasted path or web address opens.
"close chrome" or "end notepad" closes a running program after you confirm. The programs Windows needs are refused.

Yours

Aliases: a short word of your own for any result ("ff" for Firefox).
Quick links to a website, file, folder or program with arguments.
Custom commands that run a program or script with whatever you type after the name.
Pinned favourites and recent items when the bar is empty.
Open as administrator (through Windows' own permission prompt), open the containing folder, copy the path, open with, and a second action on Ctrl+Enter that you choose per kind of result.
Bar width, number of results, which screen it opens on, light or dark, accent colour, and a different shortcut or a double tap of Ctrl.
A usage page: what you open most, how much per day, and an estimate of time saved with its assumption shown.

Good to know

Alt+Space normally opens the small window menu (Restore, Move, Close). Summon takes that shortcut over while it runs; you can choose another.
Everything stays on your PC. Summon counts what you open so it can rank results; one button clears that, and learning can be turned off. It does not read browsing history, passwords or cookies.
No network use except this store's licence and update checks. Summon shows no online suggestions, and there is no currency conversion because that would need an online rate feed.
It installs for your user account only, needs no administrator rights, and has no background service. It sits in the notification area and uses next to nothing while idle.
Free to try for 14 days with every feature. After that Summon needs a licence to keep running; without one it gives Alt+Space back to Windows and shows only a trial-ended screen, from which your aliases, quick links and custom commands can still be exported.

One-time purchase for one PC. Includes every version released in the following 12 months; the version you have keeps working after that.

What it finds

Apps: everything in the Start menu, Microsoft Store apps and desktop shortcuts, with their real icons.
Windows settings pages and Control Panel items by name: "bluetooth", "display", "add or remove programs".
Files and folders in the folders you choose (Desktop, Documents and Downloads to begin with), plus recently opened files. Names and paths only; Summon never opens a file to read it.
Bookmarks from Chrome, Edge and Firefox, each of which can be switched off.
Open windows, so the bar doubles as a window switcher.
Forgiving matching: "vsc" finds Visual Studio Code, initials work, and so do one or two mistyped letters.
It learns: what you pick for a given set of letters is at the top next time, and what you use often and recently ranks higher.

Built in

Calculator as you type, with brackets, percentages and the usual functions. Enter copies the answer.
Unit conversions worked out on your PC: "12 in to cm", "5 kg to lb", "98.6 f to c".
Web searches by keyword: "g cats" for Google, "yt", "w", "maps" and more, or your own. They open in your default browser.
System commands: lock, sleep, restart, shut down, sign out, empty the Recycle Bin, Task Manager. Anything destructive asks first, in the bar, with Cancel selected.
"> ipconfig" runs a command line; a typed or pasted path or web address opens.
"close chrome" or "end notepad" closes a running program after you confirm. The programs Windows needs are refused.

Yours

Aliases: a short word of your own for any result ("ff" for Firefox).
Quick links to a website, file, folder or program with arguments.
Custom commands that run a program or script with whatever you type after the name.
Pinned favourites and recent items when the bar is empty.
Open as administrator (through Windows' own permission prompt), open the containing folder, copy the path, open with, and a second action on Ctrl+Enter that you choose per kind of result.
Bar width, number of results, which screen it opens on, light or dark, accent colour, and a different shortcut or a double tap of Ctrl.
A usage page: what you open most, how much per day, and an estimate of time saved with its assumption shown.

Good to know

Alt+Space normally opens the small window menu (Restore, Move, Close). Summon takes that shortcut over while it runs; you can choose another.
Everything stays on your PC. Summon counts what you open so it can rank results; one button clears that, and learning can be turned off. It does not read browsing history, passwords or cookies.
No network use except this store's licence and update checks. Summon shows no online suggestions, and there is no currency conversion because that would need an online rate feed.
It installs for your user account only, needs no administrator rights, and has no background service. It sits in the notification area and uses next to nothing while idle.
Free to try for 14 days with every feature. After that Summon needs a licence to keep running; without one it gives Alt+Space back to Windows and shows only a trial-ended screen, from which your aliases, quick links and custom commands can still be exported.

One-time purchase for one PC. Includes every version released in the following 12 months; the version you have keeps working after that.

Open anything on your PC from the keyboard.

What it finds

Built in

Yours

Good to know

A closer look.

Need somethinglike this built?

Summon

Open anything on your PC from the keyboard.

What it finds

Built in

Yours

Good to know

A closer look.

Need somethinglike this built?