Google Just Solved Windows 11’s Biggest Headache In One Move - Beritaja
By: Albert Michael - Saturday, 27 September 2025 07:37:27
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Windows 11 is a mess in several areas—this is something we all know and have discussed countless times. I've vented about how disastrous the Settings app is, with its inconsistent interface, hidden options, and constant switching between the Settings and Control Panel. We've all complained about the new File Explorer, which somehow looks modern but functions worse than its outdated predecessor. And above all, the Windows 11 Start menu is a complete disaster—both in terms of functionality and overall user experience.
But now, Google might have come to the rescue with its own app. Recently, Google launched a standalone app for Windows, and to my surprise, it’s actually pretty impressive.
Google’s Windows App: A Spotlight That Actually Works
The app feels a lot like Spotlight on macOS—simple, lightweight, and instantly accessible. Just press Alt + Space, and it pops up no matter what you’re doing. It's always ready to go, without the clutter or delays typical of Microsoft’s apps.
It serves as a combined local and web search hub, allowing you to find files and apps on your computer or Google Drive, and even search the internet just like you would in a browser. Although it’s technically labeled an “AI experiment,” the AI mode is not active by default. You can enable it in the settings if you prefer.
What really stands out about the Google app is that it provides a small, distraction-free window dedicated solely to searching Google. This means I don’t have to keep a dozen Chrome tabs open for quick lookups. For simple searches, everything happens in the app, and if I need to dive deeper, that will open in Chrome as it should.
The app also comes with Google Lens built right in, making it more than just a browser feature. For those who already use Circle to Search or similar features on their phones, having Google Lens on the desktop will be a game-changer. This is just another example of how Google is quietly making Windows feel more functional than Microsoft itself does.
Google’s Search Blows Windows’ Out of the Water
Now, let's talk about performance, where Google really puts Microsoft to shame. Searching for a file in Windows File Explorer is a frustrating experience. It often takes several minutes to find something that should be instantaneous. The less said about File Explorer, the better.
The Start menu search is equally notorious. While it has improved slightly over time, it’s still very inaccurate. The design of the Start menu is frustrating, cluttered with ads and unnecessary features that make it a mess. Even technically, it's a disaster. Did you know parts of the Start menu run on React instead of the WinUI Microsoft had touted so heavily? Open Task Manager and repeatedly press the Start key—you’ll see CPU spikes that are absurd for something as simple as a menu.
When the Start menu does manage to search for something, it often fails at the basics. I searched for an app I knew was installed, but instead of showing me the actual app, Windows pulled up its GitHub page via Bing. Meanwhile, the Google app, which isn’t even a native Windows feature, immediately found the app on my system. It’s almost painful to see the irony: a third-party app outperforms Windows' own search system.
The Google app for Windows isn’t groundbreaking, and it doesn't have any flashy features, but it gets the job done so smoothly and efficiently that it puts Microsoft's native search to shame. That says a lot about how poorly Windows 11 is designed.
In a normal world, Microsoft—being a tech giant—should dominate this space. But the reality is that third-party tools often outdo Microsoft's own solutions. This time, it’s Google who’s stepping in to fix a problem that should never have existed in the first place. So, yes—thank you, Google!
