- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows XP/Vista
- Date added: April 16, 2009
- Total Downloads: 377,426
- Downloads last week: 1,172
- See full specifications
A newer version of Google Desktop is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 343 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Simple, small, and free, Google Desktop indexes your hard drive the way Google's own servers index the Web. Your search results are returned in a Web-page format that looks very similar to the Google Web site. The application's sidebar regularly updates the status of your e-mail, photos, RSS feeds, and weather.
Although the initial indexing period can crawl--especially if you have a lot of e-mail, contacts, chat transcripts, and documents for it to parse through--it's well worth the wait to be able to search any of them from a text entry box that's installed next to the Quick Launch bar. You'll still find the same basic gadget content: a music player, sports and stock tickers, a file shredder, and wackier items like an interactive plant. We like the Desktop sidebar's built-in to-do list, notepad, and the capability to integrate other gadgets with ease.
Version 5 is fully compatible with Windows Vista, emulating the rounded corners and translucent panels and capable of overriding the native Vista sidebar. There's also cross-indexing for multiple machines and sharing panel items directly with friends. The sharpest new feature is the preview window for search results, which saves a lot of time on clicking, opening, and closing.
Other programs with lighter feature sets may offer quicker and easier indexing and searching. Nevertheless, the efficient and feature-rich Google Desktop Search stands as yet another feather in the company's quite decorated cap.
Watch the CNET video review of Google Desktop:
Publisher's description
From Google :Google Desktop will offer full text search over your email, computer files, chats, and the web pages you've viewed. By making your computer searchable, it puts your information easily within your reach and frees you from having to manually organize your files, emails, and bookmarks. It introduces new ways to access relevant and timely information. When you view a web page in Internet Explorer, it caches or stores its content so that you can later look at that same version of the page, even if its live content has changed or you're offline. It organizes email search results into conversations, so that all email messages in the same thread are grouped into a single search result.
Version 5.9.906 adds support for Windows XP SP3 and Firefox 3, and adds a preference to display the deskbar on the left of the taskbar.
What's new in this version:
Version 5.9.906 adds support for Windows XP SP3 and Firefox 3, and adds a preference to display the deskbar on the left of the taskbar.
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User reviews of Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
- Average user rating: 3.3 stars out of 343 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 24 user reviewsSee all 24 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
Pros: what is there to like
Cons: does nothing positive
Summary: just another useless tool bar
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Version: Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
"takes a bit of getting used to, but it is ok."
Pros: the favorite bar, so you can see the bookmarks you use everyday
Cons: i could not find a print preview button/command and print is a pain. Also, the way it downloads is like firefox where download appears at bottom of page. I also miss seeing the page loading completion rate at the bottom of the browser like in IE
Summary: overall, i like it after using it for a while. I miss some of the functions that you see on IE and it would not allow me to install yahoo toolbar. i really like the favorites bar though because it allows easy and quick access to the sites i use al... read more >>
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Version: Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
Pros: Easy of use. Flexibility. Many gadgets
Cons: Need more gadgets really usefull
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Version: Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
Pros: It is easy to customize for what I want.
Cons: For some reason it doesn't start automatically on one of my computers.
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Version: Google Desktop 5.9.906.4286
Pros: Must have downloaded it since C-net ask me to review it, but have seen no sign of it to use it.
Cons: Thoroughly from what I have read & C-net's video about using this program. I did not see anything like this on my computer that was shown in the video, so I can not tell you how it works for me!
Summary: The only thing I have seen of Google Desktop on my computer, is my one gadget, up in the right hand corner of my desktop that shows me the local temperature for my area. And at the bottom of my screen, on the right hand side, is a small Google Searc... read more >>
- See all 24 user reviews Write review
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