Lightning 0.4.0

New

• Automatic updates. Lightning checks for a new version once a day. When there is one, a notification appears; click it, or Update to X in the tray menu, and Lightning updates and restarts by itself. Check for updates in the tray menu checks right away. Updating from 0.3.0 or earlier still needs this installer once.
• Right-click menu on results and recents. Right-click any result or recent tile, or press the menu key or Shift+F10. Run as administrator works for classic and Store apps, and Open file location shows the file or the app's executable in Explorer.

Fixed

• Searches no longer get stuck on old results. While files were changing in the background, typing could keep showing earlier results for a while. Apps and settings now always answer straight away, and file results follow as soon as they're ready.
• Much lower background disk use. Changes inside hidden folders (browser caches, the Recycle Bin, AppData) used to make Lightning re-read whole drives as often as every 30 seconds, and every changed file was read in full. Lightning now ignores hidden folders, never reads file contents, and rescans a drive at most every 5 minutes, or every 15 for very large ones. A burst of thousands of new files can take up to that long to show up in search.
• The Dark mode tile now changes Lightning's theme too when it's set to Light or Dark instead of Auto.

Install / upgrade

Download Lightning-Setup-0.4.0.exe below and run it. It upgrades an existing install in place; no admin rights needed. From this version on, Lightning updates itself.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click More info → Run anyway.

SHA-256 of the installer is in Lightning-Setup-0.4.0.exe.sha256.

Lightning 0.3.0

New

• Quick settings. Tiles in the overlay switch Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, sound (mute) and dark mode, and show each one's current state.
• One-click updates. When an older Lightning is installed, the installer offers Update now, which keeps your current options and skips the setup pages, or Choose options.
• Faster results. Results appear immediately and icons load in behind them; refreshing the app list no longer delays searches.
• Recent items now show up to 12 entries.

Changed

• The overlay now closes when it loses focus by default. Turn on Always on top in settings for the old behaviour.
• Settings opened from the gear closes on Esc or a click away, and has a minimize button.

Install / upgrade

Download Lightning-Setup-0.3.0.exe below and run it. No admin rights needed.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click More info → Run anyway.

SHA-256 of the installer is in Lightning-Setup-0.3.0.exe.sha256.

Lightning 0.2.0

New

• Use the Windows key as your hotkey. In the tray settings, click Record and tap Win. A tap opens Lightning instead of the Start menu, while Win+E, Win+D, Win+R and other Windows shortcuts keep working. Record any other shortcut to get Start back.

Install / upgrade

Download Lightning-Setup-0.2.0.exe below and run it. It upgrades an existing install in place; no admin rights needed.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click More info → Run anyway.

SHA-256 of the installer is in Lightning-Setup-0.2.0.exe.sha256.

Lightning 0.1.0

First release of Lightning, a fast keyboard launcher for Windows.

Install

1. Download Lightning-Setup-0.1.0.exe below.
2. Run it. No admin rights needed.
3. Press Alt+Space.

The installer isn't code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may say "Windows protected your PC". Click More info → Run anyway.

What's inside

• Search installed apps, files on every fixed drive (powered by fff), Windows Settings and Control Panel tasks
• Typo-tolerant matching, launch history ranking, real app and file icons
• Frosted-glass UI with adjustable strength, automatic light/dark theme
• Tray settings: hotkey, theme, glass, sources, start at sign-in, always on top
• ~45 MB RAM idle with ~200k files indexed

SHA-256 of the installer is in Lightning-Setup-0.1.0.exe.sha256.