Spotlight AlternativesOnly apps categorised as File Search Utilities for Linux

Spotlight is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux File Search Utility 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 13 are File Search Utilities available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux File Search Utility alternatives to Spotlight are DocFetcher, Ulauncher, ueli and Albert.

filter to find the best alternatives

Spotlight alternatives are mainly File Search Utilities, but if you're looking for Application Launchers or Clipboard Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Linux, Windows, Mac and Linux + File Search. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Spotlight.
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Alternatives list

  1. Vicinae icon
     34 likes

    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.

    52 Vicinae alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Arch Linux
     
  2. DocFetcher icon
     129 likes

    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.

    129 DocFetcher alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about DocFetcher as an Alternative to Spotlight
    Temak
    Negative
    0

    It is not an alternative to Spotlight or to KRunner.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    DocFetcher icon
    DocFetcher icon
    • Some users think DocFetcher is a great Spotlight alternative, some don't.

    • DocFetcher is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • DocFetcher is Privacy focusedSpotlight is not according to our users
  3. Ulauncher icon
     56 likes
    • Ulauncher provides instant search results. It also remembers your previous choices and automatically selects the best option for you.
    65 Ulauncher alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about Ulauncher as an Alternative to Spotlight
    ThunderFox
    Positive
    0

    It's a great alternative for Linux users

    Ulauncher icon
    Ulauncher icon
    • Ulauncher is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • Ulauncher is Lightweight and Privacy focusedSpotlight is not according to our users
  4. ueli icon
     72 likes

    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...

    84 ueli alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about ueli as an Alternative to Spotlight
    lonke
    Negative
    0

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ueli icon
    ueli icon
    • ueli is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  5. Albert icon
     70 likes

    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.

    64 Albert alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Mac
     
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    9
  6. Clapgrep icon
     10 likes

    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…

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  7. KRunner icon
     17 likes

    Krunner is a multi-function command line menu for the KDE Plasma Desktop.

    91 KRunner alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
     
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    1
    Comments about KRunner as an Alternative to Spotlight
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Quite comfortable to use if you install KDE's Plasma.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    KRunner icon
    KRunner icon
    • KRunner is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
    • KRunner is Privacy focused and LightweightSpotlight is not according to our users
  8. Rofi icon
     24 likes

    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.

    35 Rofi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  9. Unleash.so icon
     4 likes

    Your productivity level just sprouted wings. Find what you need easily, across your cloud services from one place. Formerly known as ChaseApp.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  10. File Find icon
     1 like

    A macOS file search utility that helps you find files easier.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  11. Baloo icon
     1 like

    Baloo is not an application, but a daemon to index files. Applications can use the Baloo framework to provide file search results.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about Baloo as an Alternative to Spotlight
    Temak
    Negative
    0

    It's not a search bar app for productivity. It is a file indexer. And by the way isn't the best.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Baloo icon
    Baloo icon
    • Baloo is Free and Open SourceSpotlight is Free and Proprietary
  12.  Like

    rga is a line-oriented search tool that allows you to look for a regex in a multitude of file types. rga wraps the awesome ripgrep and enables it to search in pdf, docx, sqlite, jpg, zip, tar.*, movie subtitles (mkv, mp4), etc.

    10 rga alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac
     
12 of 13 Spotlight alternatives