A full-screen, cyberpunk-themed launcher for Windows
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A full-screen, glassmorphic application launcher built with Electron + React + TypeScript. Designed to replace the traditional Windows Start Menu, CyberLauncher provides a fast, keyboard-driven workflow to organize, search, and launch your apps — all wrapped in a sleek cyberpunk interface with neon accents.
Free and open source (GPLv3) — no ads, no tracking, and no data collection. Just enjoy it.
The Windows Start Menu works, but it's slow, cluttered, and mouse-driven. CyberLauncher reimagines app launching from the ground up — type to search, hotkey to summon, click to launch. No more digging through nested folders or scrolling through an alphabet soup of icons.
| Need | Solution |
|---|---|
| Replace the clunky Start Menu | Full-screen, keyboard-driven launcher with instant fuzzy search |
| Find anything on your PC | Hybrid indexing engine — Everything-grade file search across all drives |
| Stay organized | Color-coded categories, favorites bar, drag-to-reorder, taskbar pins |
| Launch from anywhere | Global hotkey, hot corners, per-app custom shortcuts |
| Track your workflow | Execution history, scheduled launches, console command runner |
| Make it yours | Background images, gradients, glass effects, opacity, UI scale |
- Instant Launch — Open any app, shortcut (.lnk), or URL with a single click or Enter
- Fuzzy Search — Start typing to instantly filter your app library (no exact match needed)
- System-Wide File Search — Hybrid indexing engine finds files, folders, and apps across all drives
- UWP / Windows Store Support — Natively scan, import, and launch UWP & MSIX apps via AUMID
- Console Mode — Type
>in search to execute shell commands directly
- Custom Categories — Organize apps into color-coded categories with inline editing
- Favorites & Drag-to-Reorder — Pin most-used apps with drag & drop reordering
- Taskbar — Customizable bottom bar with pinned apps for quick access
- Resizable Panels — Drag to resize the category sidebar and most-used panel
- Global Shortcut — Show/hide with a customizable keyboard shortcut (default:
Alt+Shift+L) - Hot Corners — Activate the launcher by moving your cursor to any screen corner
- Multi-Monitor Support — Choose which display CyberLauncher appears on (including "Follow cursor")
- Auto-Hide on Blur — Launcher hides automatically when switching to another window
- System Monitor — Real-time RAM, CPU, and disk usage in the top bar
- Storage HUD — View free space and status of all system drives
- Execution Scheduler — Schedule app launches or console commands with a countdown timer
- Execution History — Track and reopen everything you've launched, with clear-history option
- Theming — Background images, gradients, solid colors, glass intensity, and opacity controls
- UI Scale — Adjust the interface size to your preference
- Bilingual UI — Full English and Spanish interface with instant language switcher
- Run as Administrator — Per-app option to request elevated privileges on launch
- Per-App Global Shortcuts — Assign custom hotkeys to launch any app from anywhere
- Drag & Drop from Explorer — Drag
.exeor.lnkfiles directly into the launcher to add them - Auto-Updates — Automatic update checks and downloads via GitHub releases
- Export / Import — Backup and restore your entire configuration as JSON
- Single Instance — Only one instance runs at a time; second launches focus the existing window
- Launch with Windows — Optionally start minimized or visible at system boot
- Platform: Windows (primary target)
- Framework: Electron 42 + React 19 + TypeScript
- Bundler: Vite 6
- Styling: Tailwind CSS 4 + Motion (Framer Motion)
- Installer: electron-builder (NSIS)
- Updater: electron-updater (GitHub releases)
CyberLauncher/
├── electron/
│ ├── main.ts Electron main process (window, tray, IPC, hotspots, indexer)
│ ├── preload.ts Context bridge (IPC API exposed to renderer)
│ ├── display-resolve.ts Multi-monitor display resolution logic
│ └── updater.ts Auto-update via electron-updater + GitHub Releases
├── scripts/
│ └── generate-icons.mjs Icon generation pipeline (sharp)
├── src/
│ ├── App.tsx Main React application (all UI logic)
│ ├── main.tsx React entry point
│ ├── index.css Global styles, Tailwind, font imports
│ ├── locales.ts i18n (English / Spanish)
│ ├── AboutModal.tsx About & update dialog
│ └── Tooltip.tsx Reusable tooltip component
├── public/ Static assets & icons
├── vite.config.ts Vite + Electron plugin configuration
└── tsconfig.json TypeScript configuration
git clone https://github.com/CyberGems/CyberLauncher.git
cd CyberLauncher
npm install
npm run devnpm run build:electronThe installer will be in the release/ directory.
npm run lintWindows may show a SmartScreen warning the first time you run the CyberLauncher installer — this is an unsigned hobby app, so Windows hasn't built reputation for the file yet. This is expected; the source is public so you can inspect exactly what it does.
To continue:
- Click More info.
- Click Run anyway.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
Alt+Shift+L |
Show/hide CyberLauncher (customizable) |
> (in search) |
Switch to console mode (execute shell commands) |
Enter |
Launch selected app / execute console command |
Esc |
Close menu / clear search |
↑ ↓ |
Navigate search results |
← → |
Navigate sidebar menu |
Ctrl+← / Ctrl+→ |
Cycle search filter (Mixed / Apps / Folders / Files) |
Tab (in system search) |
Return to normal launcher search |
CyberLauncher is a full-screen desktop application launcher for Windows. It replaces the traditional Start Menu with a fast, keyboard-driven interface featuring fuzzy search, system-wide file indexing, and a distinctive cyberpunk aesthetic.
CyberLauncher runs alongside Windows — it doesn't modify system files. You can use it as your primary launcher while keeping the Start Menu accessible. Many users set CyberLauncher to auto-start and use the global hotkey to summon it instantly.
All settings are stored in a single JSON file:
%APPDATA%/CyberLauncher/cyber-launcher-config.json
This includes apps, categories, favorites, taskbar pins, theme settings, shortcuts, indexer configuration, and scheduler tasks. You can export/import this file for backup.
In the Add/Edit drawer for any app, you can assign a custom hotkey. CyberLauncher registers it system-wide via Electron's globalShortcut API, so you can launch that app from any application at any time.
Yes. CyberLauncher scans for UWP and MSIX packaged apps via their AUMID (Application User Model ID) and imports them into your library. They launch natively alongside traditional desktop apps.
Absolutely! Fork the repository, create a feature branch, and submit a pull request. Please ensure your changes pass npm run lint before submitting.
CyberLauncher is one of the gems in CyberGems, a personal suite I've spent thousands of hours building and refining for my own use. I've decided to share the whole suite with the world — completely free and open-source.
If you'd like to support this work, a donation would mean a lot. Thank you! 🙏
Crypto donations (BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC) — click to view addresses
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CyberLauncher is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for the full license text.
Copyright (C) 2026 CyberGems
Made by CyberGems