Replacing Spotlight with Tuna · Docs

If you already use Spotlight as a launcher, Tuna will feel familiar at first.

The difference is that Tuna does not stop at "open the thing."

It lets you keep going:

find a file, then move it
type text, then send it somewhere
pick an app, then run an action on it
start from clipboard history, Shelf, or a saved tool

So the shift is not just "replace Spotlight search." It is "replace the Spotlight habit with a command habit."

Make Room For Tuna First

Do this in this order:

Open System Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts.
Disable the system Spotlight shortcut.
Disable any other shortcut that would conflict, like Input Source switching or Siri, if they use the same key combo you want.
Only then set Tuna's global Fuzzy Mode hotkey.

This order matters.

If you try to bind Tuna first, macOS may keep the system shortcut reserved and Tuna can warn about the conflict or fail to capture the shortcut cleanly.

For most people, the goal is simple:

free up cmd+space
give cmd+space to Tuna

After that, Tuna can take over the same muscle memory cleanly.

The Fastest Equivalent

If what you want is the classic Spotlight feeling:

Set a global hotkey for Fuzzy Mode.
Use Tuna to search apps, files, folders, and other indexed items.
Press Return when all you want is the default action.

That gets you the same basic loop:

summon
type
open

If you want Tuna to feel as close as possible to Spotlight, this is where to start.

Where Tuna Goes Further

Spotlight is mostly about finding and opening.

Tuna uses the same first step, but adds the normal command shape from How Commands Work:

subject
action
optional target

That means the same search can turn into:

report.pdf -> Reveal
Drafts -> Move To… -> Archive
Safari -> Open File… -> invoice.pdf
hello -> Send Keys -> current app

This is the main reason people outgrow Spotlight and move to launcher tools.

Files: Index First, Spotlight When It Helps

Tuna does not treat every file search the same way.

Use the main index when you want Tuna to know a folder all the time.

Use Tuna's Spotlight actions when you want a quick one-off search inside a known folder.

Use Smart Folders when the same scoped search keeps coming back.

For the detailed file-search breakdown, read Finding Files.

Text Is A First-Class Starting Point

This is one of the biggest changes from Spotlight.

In Tuna, text is not just a query. It can also be the subject of the command.

That means you can:

calculate
convert units or currencies
transform text
paste it
send a shortcut with Send Keys
send it into a Smart Link

Read Text Mode if you want the side of Tuna that starts from typed text instead of files and apps.

Keep The Spotlight Habit, Then Expand It

A good migration path is:

Use Tuna exactly like Spotlight for a few days.
Add one extra action you keep wanting.
Add one more mode or one more tool when that starts to feel natural.

The simplest next steps are usually:

Text Mode for calculations and quick text actions
Clipboard History and Shelf for things you copied recently
Smart Links for repeatable web actions
Leader Mode once you want direct command paths

What Tuna Does Not Need To Match

You do not need Tuna to imitate every part of Spotlight.

The goal is not a pixel-perfect replacement.

The goal is that the same keystroke habit gets you further before you have to stop and switch tools.