Application Plugin

The Application plugin allows you to quickly search and launch applications on your system.

Features

• Quick Launch: Type app name directly to launch
• Smart Matching: Fuzzy matching for app names and paths
• MRU Priority: MRU feature remembers frequently used apps
• Running State Display: Shows running apps with CPU and memory usage
• Multi-platform Support: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Basic Usage

Search and Launch Apps

1. Open Wox (default hotkey Alt+Space or Cmd+Space)

2. Type app name directly, such as:

   • Chrome - Launch Google Chrome
   • VSCode - Launch Visual Studio Code
   • Notion - Launch Notion

3. Press Enter to launch selected app

Interact with Running Apps

If an app is running, search results will display CPU and memory usage:

Chrome
CPU: 2.5%
Memory: 450.3 MB

App Actions

After selecting an app, you can perform these actions:

Advanced Features

Custom App Directories

By default, the Application plugin automatically indexes application directories. You can add custom directories to include more apps:

1. Open Wox settings
2. Find Application plugin
3. Click into plugin settings
4. Add custom paths in App Directories table
5. Click save

Notes:

• Recursive subdirectory search supported
• Default recursive depth is 3 levels
• You can exclude specific directories

App Types

The Application plugin supports multiple app types:

• Desktop Apps: .app (macOS), .exe (Windows), Linux executables
• UWP Apps: Windows Store apps
• System Settings: Windows settings pages (Windows only)
• macOS System Settings: System Preferences panels (macOS only)

MRU Feature

The Application plugin supports MRU (Most Recently Used) functionality:

• Frequently used apps are prioritized in results
• Smart sorting based on MRU data
• View MRU usage statistics in settings

Platform Features

Windows

• Automatically indexes common app directories:
  • C:\Program Files
  • C:\Program Files (x86)
  • %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps
• Supports UWP apps (Microsoft Store apps)
• Supports system settings pages
• Activates window if app is already running

macOS

• Automatically indexes /Applications directory
• Supports .app application bundles
• Supports System Preferences panels
• Default behavior: Activate window if app is already running

Linux

• Supports system default app directories
• Supports .desktop files
• May require manual app directory configuration

FAQ

Why can't I find a specific app?

1. Check if it's in indexed directories: Check app directories list in plugin settings
2. Wait for indexing: Newly installed apps may take a few seconds to be indexed
3. Restart Wox: Sometimes requires restart to re-index apps

How do I hide unwanted apps?

The Application plugin doesn't provide hide functionality, but you can:

• Don't place apps in indexed directories
• Use third-party plugins to manage visible apps

App launch is slow?

1. Check if app path is correct
2. Confirm app file hasn't been moved or deleted
3. Check system resources, ensure enough to launch app

Why don't CPU and memory info show?

• Ensure app is currently running
• Only desktop apps show CPU and memory info
• Windows UWP apps and macOS system settings don't display this info

Related Plugins

• Calculator - Mathematical calculations
• Clipboard - Clipboard history, useful for pasting results
• WebSearch - Web search