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Tools / QuickRun

Utility

QuickRun

Small, sharp, no nonsense.

Tray-resident Run-style launcher bound to a global Alt+Space hotkey that resolves typed commands through Windows PATH and PATHEXT and execs them, no Start menu round-trip.

↓ Download ★ Source on GitHub
RustTauri portable exe
01 How it works

Under the hood

Registers a system-wide hotkey

Uses Tauri's global-shortcut plugin to bind Alt+Space, toggling a transparent borderless launcher from any foreground app.

Resolves commands through PATH and PATHEXT

Applies Windows' own PATH search and PATHEXT extension rules to turn a bare name like notepad or code into an executable, then spawns it.

Self-updates and persists via the registry

Checks GitHub releases for newer builds and toggles start-with-Windows by writing the Run key in the Windows registry.

02 Requirements / install
Operating system
Windows
Distribution Single portable .exe — no installer, no admin rights required.
Dependencies None. Runs offline, zero telemetry.
Licence MIT · free forever

Sometimes you just want to type notepad and have it open, without reaching for the mouse or waiting on the Start menu. QuickRun sits in the tray and pops up on Alt+Space — type a command, hit Enter, it resolves through PATH and PATHEXT and launches it, then gets out of the way. A small, fast thing that removes a small, frequent annoyance.

What it does

  • Toggles a compact launcher with Alt+Space.
  • Resolves executable names through PATH and PATHEXT.
  • Runs commands such as notepad, calc, cmd, code, and installed CLI tools.
  • Lives in the system tray.
  • Supports start with Windows.
  • Supports light and dark themes.
  • Uses a transparent borderless launcher window.
  • Checks GitHub releases for updates.

Requirements

  • Windows.
  • Commands must be available by full path or discoverable through PATH.
  • Node.js and Rust only if building from source.

Install

Download the latest installer from:

https://github.com/Swatto86/QuickRun/releases

After installation, QuickRun runs from the tray and can be opened with Alt+Space.

Basic use

  1. Press Alt+Space.
  2. Type a command.
  3. Press Enter.
  4. QuickRun launches the command and hides.

Examples:

InputResult
notepadOpens Notepad
calcOpens Calculator
cmdOpens Command Prompt
chromeOpens Chrome if installed and discoverable
codeOpens VS Code if the code command is in PATH

Tray menu

Right-click the tray icon to access:

  • Settings
  • About
  • start with Windows toggle
  • theme toggle
  • update checks
  • quit

PATH resolution

QuickRun behaves like a lightweight command launcher. If you type a command without an extension, it uses Windows PATH rules and PATHEXT to find the executable. If a command does not launch, check whether the executable directory is on PATH.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/Swatto86/QuickRun.git
cd QuickRun
npm install
npm run tauri dev

Build installer:

npm run tauri build

Troubleshooting

Hotkey does not open QuickRun

Another application may already own Alt+Space, or Windows may reserve it in the active context. Check the tray app is running and try restarting QuickRun.

Command not found

Try the full executable path. If that works, add the executable directory to PATH.

App starts but does not show

Check the system tray. QuickRun is tray-first and may already be running.

  • GitHub: https://github.com/Swatto86/QuickRun
  • Releases: https://github.com/Swatto86/QuickRun/releases
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