Search that works with Wi‑Fi off
When you ask a program to read every file on your computer, you should ask a second question right away: where do those files go?
For many smart search tools today, the honest answer is "to a server". Your documents are uploaded, processed somewhere else, and the results are sent back. That can work well. It also means your contracts, bank statements, medical reports, payslips and family photos now exist on someone else's machine.
Khoj does not work that way.
Everything happens on your computer
Khoj reads your files on your Mac or Windows PC. The index it builds, which is the record of what is inside each file, is stored in a folder on the same computer. When you search, the search runs there too.
In practice, this means:
- Khoj works with no internet connection. Turn off Wi‑Fi and search the same way.
- No file, no search and no result is sent to a server. Not to us and not to anyone else.
- There is no account. You do not sign up and you do not sign in.
- If you delete the index folder, Khoj's knowledge of your files is gone.
The one download
To understand photos, recordings and text, Khoj needs a search model. It downloads that model one time, during setup. After the download, the app shows that the model is ready and the internet is no longer needed for search.
The only other time Khoj goes online is to check if a new version of the app is available.
Why this matters at work
Many people are not allowed to upload company files to outside services. Quality records, customer contracts, HR files and design documents often must stay inside the company network. A search tool that needs the cloud is simply not an option there.
Because Khoj runs on the laptop itself, it can search work folders without sending them anywhere. The files are read in the same place they are stored.
Is it slower?
The first time, Khoj needs to read your folders, and that takes some time. How long depends on how many files you have and how fast your computer is. Khoj shows an estimate before it starts, and it can wait for the charger and for the hours you choose so your work does not slow down.
After that first pass, search is fast. New and changed files are read when you save them.
We think a tool that knows what is inside every file you own should keep that knowledge at home. That is the main design rule behind Khoj.