Colibri17a

Colibri is a straightforward application that permits you to search the computer for any file. The difference between it and other similar products is that it completely relies on key commands and excludes mouse controls.It's quite similar to the Windows Run command, dedicated to seasoned users who prefer the keyboard to the mouse for quickly executing tasks, like launching a program.

Installer and portable version

Colibri can be installed as a normal app or a portable package. The second option allows you to store all its configuration files in a single place. Thus, you can make sure to remove all its associated files by simply deleting the folder, as opposed to the uninstall option where there might remain leftovers. More importantly, the no-install form can be saved to a USB flash drive to run it on all your PCs when you're on the go.

Systray accessibility with hotkey

The program creates an icon in the system tray at launch and sits there silently until its assistance is needed. This way, it doesn't interrupt your regular PC activities. It can be brought up on the screen by clicking the tray icon or by triggering a hotkey combination (Ctrl+Space by default).

Enter keywords and get search results swiftly

Colibri shows a small dialog box in the center of the screen that asks you to write the term you're searching for. It doesn't take a long time to look for it in the computer, showing the results in an extended list.

Support for multiple monitors

The hotkey can be changed into something else or disabled so that you can only use the mouse cursor to activate Colibri. By default, the utility automatically runs at every Window startup, but this option can be disabled. Plus, you can ask it to stop storing user-defined items in its database, as well as change the monitor to focus on, thanks to the fact that multiple monitors are supported.

Evaluation and conclusion

We haven't encountered any unpleasant surprises in our tests as far as stability goes, since the app didn't freeze, crash or prompt errors. CPU and RAM consumption was barely noticeable, as we expected. Its lack of advanced features may be considered a minus for some users, but Colibri serves its purpose, proving to be a speedy and intuitive alternative to the Windows Run feature.