Recoll

2026-07-11 · source · source ↗ · raw capture · wiki page

Recoll is an open-source (GPL) full-text desktop search engine built on top of the Xapian search library. It indexes document contents, not just filenames, and can reach deep into nested structures — an MS Word attachment inside an email inside a Thunderbird folder archived in a Zip file, for example.

It runs on Linux (primary), Windows, macOS, and Android (via an F-Droid app added in late 2024). A Flatpak and an AppImage are also available. The current release is 1.44.0 (June 2026).

Architecturally, Recoll adds a text-extraction layer above Xapian that handles dozens of document formats. It provides both a Qt-based desktop GUI and a web interface (Recoll WEBUI) for remote querying. Notable extensions include a Gnome Shell Search Provider, a Firefox add-on, and a Mutt-friendly terminal interface. Indexing configuration lives in ~/.recoll/recoll.conf; GUI prefs in ~/.config/Recoll.org/recoll.ini.

The project has been actively maintained since at least 2013. Its source repo and issue tracker moved to Framagit in 2020, and the website moved to its own domain (recoll.org) in 2024.