Windows
Windows 10 1809+ / 11 · x64
v0.3.0
DownloadAll products
QCopilots SearchDesktop app
Find your files the way you remember them.
QCopilots Search helps you find things in the documents, photos, recordings and videos on your computer. Describe what you remember, in Chinese or English, and go straight to the right page, passage or moment.
Features
What it does for you
Search by meaning
Type “a library notice about opening hours” and find it, even if the file is called scan_0042.pdf.
Across Chinese and English
Describe it in one language and find content written in the other.
Reads text in pictures
Words in photos, screenshots and scanned PDFs become searchable, in English and Simplified or Traditional Chinese.
Sounds and scenes too
Find a dog barking in a recording or heavy rain in a video, then play from that moment.
Jump to the exact spot
Preview the matching passage or PDF page, or play from the matching moment, before you open anything.
Stays on your computer
Reading, indexing and AI matching all happen on your machine. Your files are never uploaded.
Examples
Search the way you remember
These sample queries, in Chinese and English, come from the app’s automated tests. Each one is shown with what it finds.
You say
Instructions for storing garden seeds
It does: A plain text note, found by meaning
You say
A library notice about opening hours
It does: The right page of a PDF
You say
A sign asking people to keep an exit clear
It does: An image of a Chinese sign, read with text recognition
You say
The Earth seen from space
It does: A photo, found by what it shows
You say
A dog barking
It does: The part of a recording where a dog barks
You say
Heavy rain falling outdoors
It does: The scene in a video
A real run
Real screenshotsFinding things by memory in 13 sample files
We downloaded the public 0.3.0 Windows build and prepared two sample folders, one per language, each holding 13 files: documents, pictures, recordings and a video. Then we searched the way people remember things, once with the Chinese interface and once with the English one.
What we asked
A library notice about opening hours
A sign asking people to keep an exit clear
Heavy rain falling outdoors
What it did
- Downloaded the portable 0.3.0 Windows build for CPU. The model for searching by meaning was downloaded once (under 1 GB) and shared by the Chinese and English runs.
- Added the sample folder. It read all 13 files in about a minute, with no failures.
- Every test query put the right file first. The PDF opened at page 2, the sign was found by reading its words, and the video landed on the rain.
- Chinese queries also found the library notice and the seed note written in English.
- sample files in each language
- 13
- test queries ranked the right file first
- 12/12
- minute or so to index, CPU only
- 1
- files sent online
- 0
The sample files were made for this test or come from the app’s own test material (public domain or free licenses). The model ran on the test computer’s CPU. We turned off the update check for the test, so the only network use was the one-time model download. Screenshots are shown at full resolution, unedited.
What it understands
- document formats, including PDF and Word
- 8
- text recognition languages: English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese
- 3
- camera RAW photo formats, plus HEIC
- 19
- kinds of code files, plus Jupyter notebooks
- ~90
Spreadsheets and slide decks are not supported yet. Audio is matched by sound and is not transcribed.
How it works
Three steps to start
Choose your folders
Pick the folders to search. Everything else stays out of the index.
Let it read
It builds its index in the background, and keyword search works without a model. Download the model once (under 1 GB), or import it offline, to search by meaning.
Describe, then jump
Write what you remember and the preview opens at the matching page, passage or moment. Press Ctrl+Shift+Space from any app for quick search (Control+Shift+Space on a Mac too).
Privacy
Private by design
Once its model is in place, QCopilots Search works fully offline.
Files never leave your computer
Reading, text recognition, indexing and AI matching all run locally.
Only two kinds of network use
The one-time model download, and an update check you can turn off.
Your files are left alone
Removing a folder from the index never deletes anything in it.
It shows you your own files. It never writes answers or makes things up.
FAQ
Does it search the internet?
No. It searches only the folders you choose on your own computer. It is not a web search engine or a chatbot.
What kinds of files can it search?
Documents (PDF, Word, ODT, RTF, HTML, Markdown and plain text), photos including HEIC and camera RAW, audio, video, and code once you turn it on in Settings. Spreadsheets and slide decks are not supported yet.
Can it find what was said in a recording?
Not word for word. Audio is matched by its sound in 30-second windows, so “a dog barking” works, but speech is not transcribed.
Will a file open at the matching page?
The built-in preview goes to the matching page, passage or moment. The system’s default app only opens the file. Choose an app such as SumatraPDF, Skim, Okular or mpv in Settings to land on the same spot there.
Do I need a graphics card?
No. Every version runs on the CPU. With a supported graphics card and the matching download, indexing can use the card to go faster.
Why does macOS warn me the first time?
The macOS version is not notarized by Apple yet. If macOS blocks it, open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
Is it free?
Yes. QCopilots Search is free and open source under the MIT license.
Download
Download QCopilots Search
Version 0.3.0 is on GitHub. Pick the build for your system, then download or import the model inside the app.
Requirements
- Windows
- Windows 10 (1809 or later) or 11, x64. Installer or portable version
- macOS
- macOS 14.4 or later on Apple silicon
- Linux
- x64, DEB package or portable version. Ubuntu 22.04 or later, and 24.04 or later for the NVIDIA and AMD graphics builds
- Graphics
- Optional. Separate builds support NVIDIA cards, the AMD RX 9000 series or general Vulkan acceleration, and the Mac version uses Metal. Every build also runs on the CPU alone
- License
- Free and open source (MIT)