Overview
The windows_single_instance package ensures that only one instance of a Flutter app runs on Windows at a time. When a second instance is launched, it detects the existing process and brings the original window to the front instead of creating a new one. This behavior improves user experience by preventing duplicate app windows and maintaining focus on the active instance. The package integrates seamlessly with Flutter’s desktop platform and requires no additional configuration beyond adding the dependency.
Use cases
- Preventing duplicate app windows
- Improving user workflow on Windows
- Ensuring single active instance
- Handling app launch from shortcuts
- Managing background processes
Key features
- Automatic window focus on re-launch
- Cross-process detection
- Minimal setup
- Windows-only support
- No external dependencies
Suitable for
- Desktop Windows apps
- Single-window applications
- User-facing utilities
- Tools requiring focused interaction
- Apps with persistent state
Considerations
- Limited to Windows platform
- Requires proper initialization
- May conflict with other single-instance solutions
- Not applicable for multi-instance workflows
- Does not handle app shutdown gracefully