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Launchy vs PowerToys Command Palette: catalog facts
Launchy	PowerToys Command Palette
Best for: Windows users who want a simple, free keystroke launcher	Best for: Windows users who want a keyboard launcher from Microsoft
Free Free and open source.	Free Free as part of Microsoft PowerToys.
Windows	Windows
Guesses the target from a few typed characters Opens programs, files, folders and websites All 3 strengths for Launchy Guesses the target from a few typed characters Opens programs, files, folders and websites Runs quietly in the background until called	Opens with one shortcut and searches apps, files, commands and the web Extensible and customisable All 4 strengths for PowerToys Command Palette Opens with one shortcut and searches apps, files, commands and the web Extensible and customisable Optional compact search box mode Comes with the rest of the PowerToys utilities
A community fork of an older project with a small following Windows focused	Windows only Requires PowerToys to be installed and running in the background
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Launchy github.com/OpenNingia/Launchy Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for PowerToys Command Palette learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/command-palette… Catalog checked October 1, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.