What if ⌥Space is already taken?

Peekaboo tells you when another app holds the shortcut. Pick a different one in Settings › General, or change it in the other app.

Does it search inside documents?

Yes. Names come first, then files whose contents match, through Spotlight’s index.

Does Quick Search work without the app window open?

Yes. It works from any app as long as Peekaboo is running, even with its window closed.

Are my searches sent anywhere?

No. Searches are read by a parser on your Mac and nothing you type leaves it.

Peekaboo · Quick Search

Find a file from any app, without switching windows

You’re in the middle of an email and need last week’s PDF. ⌥Space opens a search panel over whatever you’re doing; type what you remember and the file is a keystroke away.

Download free trial14 days free · macOS 14+ · Added in 0.1.0 · Updated November 7, 2026

What it does

Over any app: The panel opens over the app you’re in, even with the main window closed. With nothing typed it shows your recent files.
Type it the way you’d say it: “screenshots from last week” or “pdfs from gmail”, with an “Understood as” line showing how it read you. Name matches come first, then files that match by what’s inside them.
A keystroke to act: ↩ opens, ⌥↩ shows in Finder, ⌘↩ shows in the app. Right-click for Quick Look, Copy and Copy Path, or drag a result into Mail, Slack or Figma.
Your shortcut: ⌥Space by default, changed in Settings › General. On Macs with Apple Intelligence, ⇧↩ hands what you typed to the Assistant.

How to use it

1Press ⌥Space in any app.⌥Space
2Type what you remember: kind, date, size, where it came from.
3Press ↩ to open, or drag the file where it needs to go.

When another app fits better

Quick Search finds files; it doesn’t launch apps, run commands or keep clipboard history. For that, [Raycast](/alternatives/raycast/) or [Alfred](/alternatives/alfred/) do far more, and Spotlight’s ⌘Space is still the quickest way to open an app.

Questions

What if ⌥Space is already taken?: Peekaboo tells you when another app holds the shortcut. Pick a different one in Settings › General, or change it in the other app.
Does it search inside documents?: Yes. Names come first, then files whose contents match, through Spotlight’s index.
Does Quick Search work without the app window open?: Yes. It works from any app as long as Peekaboo is running, even with its window closed.
Are my searches sent anywhere?: No. Searches are read by a parser on your Mac and nothing you type leaves it.