AWS Launches Amazon Quick Desktop App for macOS and Windows — Proactive AI With Local Files and a New Free Plan (April 28, 2026)

AWS on April 28, 2026 launched Amazon Quick as a native desktop application for macOS and Windows in preview, alongside new Free and Plus pricing plans that for the first time let individuals sign up without an AWS account. The desktop client reads local files, fires proactive OS-level notifications when calendar conflicts or unread messages appear, and connects to coding agents over Model Context Protocol (MCP) — pushing AWS's enterprise AI assistant directly onto the same surface where Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini already sit.

What Happened

Amazon announced Quick's desktop app on stage at "What's Next with AWS" in San Francisco. Until April 28, Quick was browser-only and required corporate AWS credentials. The new desktop client extends Quick beyond the browser by giving it persistent access to a user's local files, calendar, email and messaging apps. AWS says the assistant builds a personal knowledge graph that "learns your people, projects and relationships across every interaction" and shares that memory between the web and desktop surfaces.

Two consumer-grade plans went live the same day. The Free tier lets users sign up with a personal email or Google, Apple, GitHub or Amazon credentials — no AWS account required. The Plus plan adds higher usage limits and unlocks the desktop app for individual subscribers; the existing Pro and Enterprise tiers remain the AWS-account path for businesses. AWS Transform also gained a BI-migration agent in early May 2026 that imports Power BI and Tableau dashboards into Quick.

Key Details

• Native apps for macOS and Windows — preview release, available in the US East (N. Virginia) region for all current Quick subscribers.
• Local file access without uploads — Quick can read files on disk in place rather than requiring users to upload them, which AWS positions as a privacy advantage over browser-only competitors.
• Proactive OS notifications — Quick surfaces calendar conflicts, action items in Slack or email and overdue tasks before the user asks.
• Model Context Protocol support — the desktop client can host local MCP servers, letting Quick drive coding agents, IDEs and other developer tooling on the same machine.
• Connectors — Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Zoom and Salesforce on day one, with more in the pipeline.
• New consumer plans — Free and Plus, signup via personal email or social SSO; previously every Quick user required corporate AWS authentication.

What Developers and Users Are Saying

On developer-focused publications, the strongest signal is that AWS has effectively cloned the most-praised features of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 while filling two gaps: a true desktop app rather than a side panel and consumer-style sign-up that bypasses the AWS Console. SiliconANGLE described the relaunch as Amazon "revamping" Quick into a proactive desktop product, framing the move as AWS's attempt to win the agentic-AI workspace race rather than just sell inference compute under it.

CIO Dive reported that enterprise buyers see Quick's MCP integration and BI migration tools as the more interesting hooks: AWS Transform now ports Tableau and Power BI dashboards into Quick "in days," which removes a real switching cost. Critics on Hacker News noted Quick still lags Microsoft Copilot's deep Office integration and pointed out the inevitable confusion with Amazon's older AI coding assistant Q, which suffered a public security incident in mid-2025.

What This Means for Developers

For builders, the headline is the local MCP server support. A developer can now run Quick on the desktop and have it act as a router into local coding agents, file systems and IDEs through the same protocol Anthropic, OpenAI and AWS have all standardized on. That means MCP servers built for Claude Desktop or Cursor can be reused inside Quick with minimal effort. The Free tier without an AWS account also lowers the barrier for individual developers to evaluate the product before pushing it through enterprise procurement.

For ISVs already on Bedrock, the new OpenAI on Bedrock partnership announced at the same event — adding GPT-5.5, Codex and Managed Agents — means Quick will eventually have a wider model menu than today's defaults.

What's Next

AWS says the desktop preview will expand from US East to additional regions over the coming months and that more enterprise app connectors and a public Quick API are on the roadmap. The BI-migration agent for Power BI and Tableau, announced May 1, 2026, is generally available now. Builders can download the desktop preview and read the documentation on the Amazon Quick product page.

Sources

• About Amazon — "Amazon Quick desktop app: AI that learns how you work" — Amazon's own launch announcement.
• AWS What's New — Amazon Quick desktop preview — primary product release note.
• AWS What's New — Free and Plus plans — pricing tier announcement.
• SiliconANGLE — "Amazon revamps Quick as a proactive desktop app" — independent coverage and analysis.
• CIO Dive — "AWS launches Amazon Quick desktop app to fuel enterprise agents" — enterprise reaction.
• AWS What's New — BI migration to Quick — May 2026 follow-up announcement.