Google Desktop Search: Is Lookeen an Alternative?

In the time of digital mail, music and photos, it becomes ever more important to keep your computers organized. The ever growing data pool makes it necessary to develop an adequate folder structure and in order to find important data, a professional desktop search tool is indispensable, as Google Desktop Search was. The search for information is usually a lengthy and therefore costly undertaking, especially for companies large or small.

Google Desktop Search Discontinued

Those who were long time users of Google Desktop will know that the development of the search tool was discontinued in September of 2011. Although it is still available to download from some sites, updates and user support have also been discontinued, which makes using the tool risky. There is, however, no need to panic. Many alternative desktop search tools such as Lookeen have been developed that offer many of the most loved features found in Google’s offering.

Lookeen Offers Faster Search Functions

People who appreciated the ease of use of the Google Desktop Search functions will not be disappointed by Lookeen: The Lookeen search tool is integrated into the Windows System Tray, onto your desktop, or directly into Outlook, making access to search very simple. The lightning fast real time indexing means you can browse all up to date local folders and network paths quickly and easily.

Better Display of Search Results

Those unconvinced by the simplistic display of search results in Google Desktop Search will find the perfect solution in Lookeen. An integrated preview window allows all users to quickly view all document types in full fidelity, and the highlighting of key words makes key information easy to find.

Features	Lookeen Desktop Search	Google Desktop
Interface	Stand alone Software, Outlook integration possible	Browser
Search filters	Over 25 filters and categories	Not available
File size indexed	Entire file	First 10,000 characters only
Index size	Unlimited number of files	Up to 10,000 files
E-mail Attachments	All Outlook email attachments	Not supported
Preview	Full fidelity preview of Office documents, PDF, images and more	Not supported
Document editing	All text documents eg. .docx .xlsx .txt	Not supported
Technical Support	Free technical support within 3 business days	No longer available
Privacy and security	Your information is secure and never shared externally	Tracks all searches and maintains cache of index
Software Development	Regular updates	Discontinued

The Google Desktop Alternative for Search – Lookeen

At the time that Google Desktop Search was discontinued, it was one of the most widely used desktop search tools, with tens of millions of users who now need an alternative. Lookeen closes this gap: it provides you with a Google Desktop Search alternative that offers the same search functions included in Google Desktop, and a lot more.

Clearer, and Just as Easy to Use

Firstly, the way the search results are displayed is an improvement over Google Desktop Search. Users who were unhappy with Google’s clunky interface love Lookeen. Thanks to the ability to preview search results in Lookeen, users can gain a quick overview of all their files as well as a more detailed and functional preview. You can even edit and save changes to text files inside Lookeen, without having to open the original program itself. The highlighting feature means that keywords are easy to find with a glance at your results list.

Lookeen is also just as easy to use as Google Desktop Search was: It integrates itself into the desktop, and, just like Google Desktop Search, Lookeen can be opened by double tapping the Ctrl key so you can start searching quickly. Lookeen boasts an intuitive ease of use, which users are familiar with from Outlook search. Thanks to the familiar interface and sure-fire results, Lookeen quickly becomes indispensable to everyday search users.

Google Desktop Search Security

Although Google Desktop software can still be downloaded from some sites, and works on some older Windows operating systems, it is no longer supported by Google, which brings up several security issues that users should be aware of. A security flaw in Google Desktop Search, if found, won’t be patched. Lookeen, on the other hand, offers free support and updates for all Lookeen versions. This means that you can be sure of a high quality, bug-free, and completely secure software from Lookeen.

Google has recently applied for, and been awarded, a patent that might bring Google Desktop Search back. The only catch is that it will also include web search over the desktop search function, similarly to Windows search in Windows 10. There are naturally inherent risks involved with allowing an external software application to share enterprise data over the internet. While you will probably be able to disable internet searches from any new version of Google Desktop Search, it still has the potential to expose sensitive data to the world. Lookeen wants your company data to stay with the company. With the Lookeen system, all enterprise data stays safely within your own company’s architecture. Enterprise Search is nothing like web search, so companies should choose the best tool for searching their internal documents only.

Rely on Lookeen

Use Lookeen to search your PC for files and more – never waste another moment with inefficient search tools. Lookeen’s advanced technology ensures that your search results are always up to date, and you find all emails, documents, images and files in record time. Lookeen is very easy to integrate and use, and will make your work faster and more productive. Find out more about the features of Lookeen Desktop Search.