PortableApps.com Platform 12 adds app menu, instant search, automatic app closing

John Haller’s PortableApps.com has announced the release of PortableApps.com Platform 12, a major update for the all-in-one app manager.

Right-clicking the Platform system tray icon now displays a cascading menu containing all your apps, links to system folders, Backup/ Restore/ Eject functions and more.

If you prefer the keyboard, the app search box is ready by default, Start Menu-style, so you can launch the program and just start typing to find your app. It’s even possible to search within app descriptions, although this isn’t enabled by default (see Options > Advanced > "Search within app descriptions…").

When you’ve finished, the Platform is now smart enough to safely close portable apps wherever it’s possible, and alert you when it isn’t.

PortableApps.com claims Platform 12 is 10x faster when checking for updates, while the app database has shrunk to 20 percent of its previous size, saving time and bandwidth.

A far more flexible installer can now install to your local machine, portable devices, synced cloud folders (Box, Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive are supported)  and more.

There’s also a revamped theme engine, full proxy support, many localisation tweaks, and various bug fixes. The full details are available in the official Changelog, or you can just download PortableApps.com Platform 12 and discover the improvements for yourself.