Changelog

Every version of Alcove, what changed in it, newest first.

Last updated 2026-08-22

August 22, 2026

Alcove now shows a friendly what’s new panel when you update or open it for the first time, so you always know what changed
Added two new themes - Loki and Zudu
Added a Donate button at the bottom of Settings, in case you’d like to support development
Alcove now checks for new versions on launch and lets you know when an update is available

CleanLaunch is now Alcove - fresh app icon, brand lockups, and updated naming throughout
Added the Alcove theme in brand colours - mint accent on the logo’s dark field, now the default look

Back up and restore your workspace - save your settings, layout, folder colors, and shortcuts to a file, and put them back whenever you need to
The settings and command palette buttons in the title bar now close what they opened when you click them again

Reworked the tutorial for a more comfortable setup experience for new and existing users
Fixed hover buttons on grid tiles being covered by the icon

Added 22 new themes and grouped them into Dark, Light, and Special for easy browsing. Go give them a try!

Add Shell Object - right-click an empty area of the grid to add Windows system folders like This PC, Recycle Bin, and Control Panel as shortcuts
Command Palette can now search Google and Wikipedia, not just your PC
Quick Answers - type a sum, a percentage, or a unit or currency conversion and the answer appears at the top
Read Wikipedia articles right in the preview pane, without leaving the palette
Google and Wikipedia searches are remembered, so you can pick one back up from the history list

Only one copy of CleanLaunch runs at a time, so launching again just brings it forward
Command Palette opens more smoothly
Drag-to-delete - drag a grid item onto the trash zone to delete it

The palette gets a preview pane showing a live preview of the selected result
Command Palette visual refresh with a clearer search bar, result highlighting, and footer hints

New Help & Info section in Settings explains how CleanLaunch works and where your data lives
New Command Palette - press Ctrl+Shift+Space to search and launch anything from anywhere
The palette finds your Start Menu programs and Store apps, not just your shortcuts
The palette learns what you use and shows your recents when opened empty
Press Tab on any palette result for more actions like Run as administrator, Peek, or Rename
Hide desktop icons now shows the real Windows state and updates live
Open file location on a linked folder now opens the original folder in Explorer

New Peek feature - preview files without opening them
Arrow keys now start from your mouse or scroll position when nothing is selected

Power controls in the breadcrumb bar: shut down, restart, sleep, and lock
Audio device picker and app mixer now open as native popups that can extend past the window
Audio and power controls each collapse to a single icon and remember your preference
Settings is more compact and fits small windows better
Volume slider shrinks on small windows so the search bar is never cut off

Folder contents now refresh automatically when files change on disk
Global hotkey (Ctrl+Space) shows or hides the window from anywhere
System tray icon with a Show and Quit menu
The close button now hides the window instead of quitting
Option to reset to the home folder when toggling the window
Audio toolbar with volume, mute, device switching, and a per-app mixer
Keyboard navigation with arrow keys, type-to-find, and configurable launch and back keys
Press feedback when you launch an item
Navigation history now remembers your scroll position and focused item
Window opacity slider in Appearance settings
Collapsible toolbar via the chevron in the titlebar