Welcome to the rag-hybrid-search application. This tool lets you run a search workspace on your Windows PC. It works without an internet connection. You can search documents using smart technology that mixes keyword search and understanding of language.
rag-hybrid-search is a local search tool made for users who want fast, accurate answers from their documents. It combines three types of search:
- Keyword search (bm25)
- Semantic reranking, which understands meaning
- Cross-encoder reranking to improve result accuracy
The tool also adds clear citations for every answer it gives. It works entirely offline, keeping your information private.
To use rag-hybrid-search on Windows, your computer should meet these guidelines:
- Operating System: Windows 10 or newer
- Processor: Modern 64-bit CPU (Intel Core i5 or equivalent)
- Memory: At least 8 GB of RAM
- Disk Space: Minimum 2 GB free for program files and data
- Internet Access: Only needed for downloading the app
Follow these steps to get rag-hybrid-search running on your Windows machine. No programming knowledge is required.
Click the large button above or here to visit the download page:
On the page you open, look for the latest release section. Download the Windows installer or zip file provided. This file contains all the program parts you need.
If you downloaded an installer file (.exe):
- Double-click the file to start installation.
- Follow the prompts on screen to choose the install folder and complete setup.
If you downloaded a zip file:
- Right-click the file and select "Extract All".
- Choose a folder where you want to place the app files.
- Open that folder and find the file named
rag-hybrid-search.exe.
- Double-click
rag-hybrid-search.exein the install or extracted folder. - The program window will open. It may take a few seconds to load.
The user interface is simple and focused on your document search needs.
- Click the "Add Documents" button.
- Choose one or more PDF or text files from your computer.
- The program will read and prepare the files to be searched.
- Enter your question or keywords in the search box.
- Press the search button or hit Enter.
- Results will appear ranked by relevance and explained with citations.
Each result shows text from your documents that matches your query. Below each answer, you’ll see the file name and page number where it came from. This makes it easy to check sources.
rag-hybrid-search comes with settings to help you manage how it works.
- Search Strength: Choose how much the tool relies on keyword or semantic search.
- Document Types: Select which file formats to include.
- Result Count: Set how many answers to show for each search.
- Update Index: Refresh your documents’ search data anytime.
These options are available under the "Settings" menu.
rag-hybrid-search uses three main technologies working together:
- BM25: A proven keyword search method that finds exact word matches.
- Semantic Reranking: Uses language understanding to assess meaning and relevance beyond keywords.
- Cross-Encoder Reranking: Processes pairs of query and text for precise relevance scoring.
This combination ensures that results are both fast and accurate. You get answers ranked by how closely they match your question, even if the words are different.
- If the program won’t start, check that your Windows system is up to date.
- If document upload fails, confirm the files are PDF or plain text formats.
- If search results seem wrong, try re-indexing your documents using the "Update Index" option.
- For slow performance, close other memory-heavy applications.
You can always visit this link to download and update the program:
rag-hybrid-search supports privacy-first offline use. It uses popular tools such as Faiss and sentence-transformers to speed up search and provide better results. Its local setup means your data never leaves your computer.
If you want to learn more about the underlying methods, search for terms like:
- BM25
- Semantic Search
- Cross-Encoder Reranking
- Vector Databases
These concepts explain how rag-hybrid-search finds information faster and smarter.
- PDF documents (.pdf)
- Plain text files (.txt)
These formats cover most documents people want to search. If you want to use other file types, convert them to PDF or text first.
- rag-hybrid-search works best on modern hardware with enough RAM.
- Initial indexing can take a few minutes depending on how many documents you add.
- After indexing, searches happen quickly, usually under a few seconds.
- Check the download page regularly for new versions.
- Always close the program before installing an update.
- Back up your documents and search indexes if you want to keep your data safe during updates.
If you face issues beyond what you see here, you may find help on the project's GitHub page under "Issues." Users and developers often share advice and fixes.
