A fast, offline text-based command launcher for Windows 10/11
RunDesk is a keyboard-driven command launcher that lives in your system tray. Press Ctrl+Space anywhere to summon a sleek floating input overlay, type a command or alias, and RunDesk takes care of the rest — opening apps, running system actions, executing scenes (multi-step routines), and more.
Built with PySide6, fully offline, and designed for power users who want speed without the bloat.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Global Hotkey | Fixed Ctrl+Space shortcut to summon the overlay instantly |
| Floating Overlay | Translucent input with blur, glow effects, and smooth animations |
| Smart Matching | Alias-based lookup with fuzzy matching — tolerates typos |
| Scenes & Routines | Chain multiple commands into sequential workflows with optional delays |
| Multi-Monitor | Detects all connected monitors; position windows on any screen |
| Configuration UI | Full settings panel: appearance, hotkey, commands, scenes, diagnostics |
| Dashboard | Usage statistics, most-used commands chart, and recent activity feed |
| Export / Import | Backup and restore your entire configuration as a ZIP file |
| Bilingual | English and Spanish — switch languages on the fly, UI rebuilds instantly |
| System Tray | Runs quietly in the background; right-click tray icon for quick actions |
| 100% Offline | No internet required, no telemetry, no cloud dependencies |
Pre-built .exe installers are available on the Releases page. Each release includes:
RunDeskSetup_x.x.x.exe— Windows installer (recommended)RunDesk.exe— Standalone portable executable- Changelog with a summary of new features, fixes, and improvements
No Python installation required — just download, install, and run.
- Windows 10 or 11
- Python 3.13+
- uv — fast Python package manager
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/MikeDevQH/RunDesk.git
cd RunDesk
uv syncuv run python -m appRunDesk will start minimized in the system tray. Press Ctrl+Space to open the overlay.
| Action | Type in overlay |
|---|---|
| Open browser | chrome, browser, nav |
| Open file explorer | explorer, files |
| Open calculator | calc, calculadora |
| Lock computer | lock, bloquear |
| Shutdown | shutdown, apagar |
| Open Windows settings | settings, config |
- Open the Commands page in the settings panel
- Click New command
- Fill in the ID, name, aliases, type, and path/URL
- Save — your command is immediately available in the overlay
Scenes let you chain multiple actions in sequence. For example, a "Work Setup" scene could:
- Open VS Code
- Open Chrome to your project management tool
- Open Spotify
Configure scenes from the Scenes page in settings.
rundesk/
├── app/
│ ├── core/ # Business logic
│ │ ├── actions/ # Command execution & routing
│ │ ├── config/ # Configuration store & schemas
│ │ ├── hotkey/ # Global hotkey management
│ │ ├── input/ # Command parsing & fuzzy matching
│ │ ├── scenes/ # Scene/routine management
│ │ └── sounds/ # Audio feedback
│ ├── i18n/ # Internationalization (EN/ES catalogs)
│ ├── ui/
│ │ ├── components/ # Reusable UI components (sidebar, dialogs)
│ │ ├── overlay/ # Floating input overlay
│ │ └── pages/ # Settings pages (dashboard, commands, etc.)
│ ├── bootstrap.py # Application initialization
│ └── main.py # Entry point
├── assets/ # Icons and resources
├── tests/ # Test suite (152 tests)
├── installer.iss # Inno Setup installer script
├── rundesk.spec # PyInstaller build spec
├── build.bat # One-click build script
├── LICENSE.txt # Source-Available License
└── pyproject.toml # Project metadata & dependencies
# Build standalone .exe
pyinstaller rundesk.specOutput: dist/RunDesk.exe
- Build the
.exefirst (see above) - Open
installer.issin Inno Setup Compiler - Compile to generate
installer_output/RunDeskSetup_0.1.0.exe
Or use the all-in-one build script:
build.bat# Run all tests
uv run pytest
# Run with verbose output
uv run pytest -v
# Run a specific test file
uv run pytest tests/test_app_state.py152 tests covering: config store, command store, scene store, command parser, action executor, i18n, sound player, window manager, app state & usage tracking, export/import.
All data is stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%\RunDesk\:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
config.json | App settings (hotkey, language, appearance, fuzzy matching) |
commands.json | Registered commands (default + custom) |
scenes.json | Configured scenes/routines |
app_state.json | Window geometry, usage statistics, recent activity |
From the Diagnostics page you can:
- Export your entire configuration to a
.zipfile - Import a previously exported
.zipto restore settings - Factory reset with optional backup
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Language | Python 3.13 |
| UI Framework | PySide6 (Qt 6) |
| Fuzzy Matching | RapidFuzz |
| Global Hotkey | keyboard |
| Window Management | pywin32 |
| Monitor Detection | Win32 API (ctypes) |
| Build | PyInstaller + Inno Setup |
| Package Manager | uv + hatchling |
| Testing | pytest |
| Linting | Ruff |
Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/my-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m "Add my feature") - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/my-feature) - Open a Pull Request
Please ensure all tests pass before submitting.
- Visual drag-and-drop editor for window positioning
- Plugin system for third-party command packs
- Command history with search
- Auto-updater
- Theming support (custom color palettes)
This project is released under a Source-Available License. See LICENSE.txt for full terms.
TL;DR: Free for personal use. Attribution required for forks. No commercial use without permission.
- PySide6 — Qt for Python
- RapidFuzz — Fast fuzzy string matching
- keyboard — Global hotkey hooks
- Inno Setup — Windows installer framework
Made with focus and precision. Built for speed.