A compact, keyboard-driven launcher for GNOME Shell 45 through 51.
Version: 2026.15
•
Shortcut: Ctrl + Space
GNOME Extensions (recommended)
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/itsnin/spotlight/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
# Log out and back in on Wayland before enabling.
gnome-extensions enable spotlight@ningnome-extensions prefs spotlight@nin- Toggle keyboard shortcut (default
Ctrl+Space) - Visual theme: Default (follows system), Dark, or Light
- Reuses GNOME's built-in search infrastructure
- Results from apps, calculator, files, system actions, settings, web search
- Positioned 25% from top, grows downward, never drifts. Subtle ease on open and close matching GNOME conventions.
- Translucent glass appearance, dark and light modes
- Live system theme following when set to Default
| Action | Input |
|---|---|
| Open Spotlight | Ctrl + Space |
| Launch app | Type name, Enter |
| Evaluate expression | Type math, Enter |
| Lock screen | Type lock, Enter |
| Open Wi-Fi settings | Type wifi, Enter |
| Search the web | Type query, Enter |
| Traverse results | ↑ / ↓ |
| Dismiss | Esc, Ctrl + Space, or click outside |
Spotlight permanently takes over GNOME Overview's search infrastructure. On enable, it steals the Overview's search entry and search controller widgets and hides them. When the popup opens, these already-stolen widgets are reparented into the popup. When the popup closes, they're removed from the popup but kept stolen and hidden. They're only returned to the Overview on disable.
This approach means Spotlight automatically benefits from every search provider registered with GNOME Shell, with zero custom provider code.
Contributions of all types are welcome — bug fixes, new features, documentation improvements, design proposals. Before starting, please read the contributor guide and the agent standards which describe the project's design philosophy, architecture, code style, and verification discipline.
This project follows the Contributor Covenant. By participating, you are expected to uphold this code.
For security vulnerabilities, please do not open a public issue. See the security policy for the private reporting process.
GPL-3.0-or-later. See LICENSE.