Launchy

A handy way to access your files and programs is to put a shortcut on your desktop or to pin them to the taskbar or Start Menu. The thing is that if you put too many desktop shortcuts on your desktop, it will look cluttered and unappealing – the same can be said about the taskbar and Start menu. Launchy will do away with the clutter and will provide a very handy way of accessing your files applications. From the Launchy interface, with just a few keystrokes, you can access any application installed on your machine.

From start to finish, which is to say from downloading to finishing testing Launchy, I liked a lot about this application. The Launchy download weighs in at a mere 4.3Mb, which isn’t very much, and consequently it does not take long for the download to complete. That’s the first thing I liked. Next up, I liked that during the installation process I was asked if I wanted to install Launchy as a normal app or as a portable app, and if I wanted a Launchy desktop shortcut (it makes sense since Launchy is meant to do away with a desktop cluttered with shortcuts). The installation process completed in very little time, in case you were wondering.

From Launchy’s simple interface (you can change the way it looks by changing the skin from the Options menu) you can then access your files, folders and programs. Say you want to launch the Firefox browser – just type in Firefox. Or say you want to access the Control Panel – just type in Control Panel. You will notice that you don’t have to finish what you’re typing as Launchy will start throwing suggestions your way. If you want to visit FindMySoft, just type in FindMySoft.com in Launchy and hit Enter. Your browser will launch and you will be directed to FindMySoft. Launchy works with files, folders, programs, Windows features and sites.

Launchy is freeware, which means you won’t have to part with your money in order to use the application. But if you like the functionality it has to offer, consider making a small donation. The money will go towards helping developer Josh Karlin maintain Launchy.

I don’t particularly fancy desktop shortcuts; I like to keep a nice, tidy desktop and enjoy the wallpaper. And that is why I sincerely appreciate the functionality Launchy has to offer. From Launchy's very good looking interface you can access files, folders and applications.

Forget about desktop shortcuts and pinned applications. You can access files, folders and applications easily from within Launchy. It is a properly good, cross-platform application launcher that is a pleasure to use.