Application Plugin

Application search is a global plugin. Type an app name directly; no keyword is required.

Quick Start

text

chrome
visual studio code
settings

Press Enter to open the selected app. If Wox can detect that the app is already running, the result can activate the existing window instead of starting another instance.

Actions

Open the Action Panel on an app result for secondary actions:

Action	Use
Open	Launch or activate the app
Open containing folder	Reveal the app file in the system file manager
Copy path	Copy the executable or bundle path
Show context menu	Open the system context menu when supported
Terminate app	Stop a running app when Wox can identify the process

App Sources

Wox indexes common application locations for each platform:

Platform	Sources
Windows	Start Menu entries, `Program Files`, WindowsApps, UWP apps, Windows settings pages
macOS	`/Applications`, `.app` bundles, system settings panels
Linux	`.desktop` files and configured app directories

Settings

Open Settings -> Plugins -> Application to add custom app directories or run app reindexing. Use this when a portable app or local tool does not live in a standard application folder.

Result Ordering

The plugin uses matching score and MRU data. Apps you launch often move up over time, so the first result should become more stable after normal use.

Troubleshooting

A new app is missing

Wait a few seconds for indexing.
Run the plugin's reindex command or restart Wox.
Add the app's parent directory in plugin settings if it is a portable app.

The wrong app appears first

Launch the correct result a few times. MRU scoring will lift frequently used apps above similar matches.

CPU or memory details do not appear

Runtime details are shown only when Wox can map the result to a running desktop process. Store apps, settings panels, or unsupported desktop environments may not expose that data.