Enable Run

PowerToys must be running in the background and Run must be enabled. Press the default Alt+Space shortcut and type an app name. The shortcut is configurable.

Separate search from commands

Select an app or file and press Enter to open it. Prefix a calculation with =, such as = 24*3; invoke the Shell plugin with > ping localhost. A shell query can perform an action, so check the command and target before running it. Plugin commands are configurable in the plugin manager.

The Windows Search plugin finds only files and folders included in the Windows Search index. If there is no result, confirm the plugin is enabled, then check Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows for indexing mode, indexed locations, and exclusions. The index may not have updated yet, so verify the file by its full path in File Explorer and open it there if needed. Also check for shortcut conflicts. This is an example procedure, not a device test.

Sources: Run documentation · Install PowerToys