
Everything
Everything is an incredibly fast desktop search utility for Windows that indexes your file system and allows you to locate files and folders by name instantly. Unlike Windows' built-in search, it works in real-time, providing near-instant results as you type, making file management and access significantly more efficient.
About Everything
Everything revolutionizes how you interact with your Windows file system by providing an unparalleled speed in searching for files and folders by name. Instead of scanning your entire drive every time you search, Everything builds and maintains a database of all file and folder names on your local volumes. This indexed approach is the secret behind its remarkable speed, delivering results as you type.
Beyond simple name-based search, Everything offers a robust set of features designed to enhance your productivity:
- Instant Results: Experience near-instantaneous search results, even on large drives, thanks to its efficient indexing method.
- Minimal System Resources: Everything is designed to be lightweight, consuming minimal CPU and memory resources, ensuring it doesn't slow down your system.
- Real-time Updates: The index is updated in real-time, reflecting changes to your file system as they happen, so your search results are always current.
- Powerful Filtering: Utilize various search filters, including size, date modified, or specific file types, to refine your searches and quickly find what you need.
- Regular Expression Support: For advanced users, Everything supports regular expressions, allowing for complex and flexible search patterns.
- Integrated File Management: Perform common file operations like copying, pasting, deleting, and renaming directly from the Everything interface.
- Context Menu Integration: Access Everything's search functionality directly from the Windows Explorer context menu for seamless integration into your workflow.
- Portability: A portable version is available, allowing you to run Everything from a USB drive without installation, perfect for searching on multiple computers.
- Customizable Interface: Tailor the user interface to your preferences with various display options and search configurations.
- Monitor File Changes: Keep track of file system changes in real-time, helping you stay informed about modifications to your files and folders.
Everything is an essential tool for anyone who frequently searches for files on their Windows computer. Its speed, efficiency, and comprehensive features make it a significant upgrade over the default Windows search functionality, providing a streamlined and incredibly fast way to access your data.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Searches for files and folders by name almost instantly.
- Uses very little system resources.
- Real-time indexing keeps search results always up-to-date.
- Portable version available for use on different machines.
- Supports advanced features like regular expressions for complex searches.
Cons
- Primarily focuses on file/folder name search, limited content search.
- Initial indexing of very large drives can take some time.
- Interface, while functional, is quite basic.
What Makes Everything Stand Out
Unmatched Speed
Delivers search results many times faster than the default Windows search, often appearing instantly.
Real-time Indexing
The search index is continuously updated in real-time, ensuring results are always current without manual refreshing.
Minimal Resource Usage
Despite its speed, Everything is designed to be lightweight and use very little system resources.
Features & Capabilities
16 featuresExpert Review
Everything stands out as a premier desktop search utility for Windows, primarily due to its remarkable speed and efficiency. Unlike traditional search methods that scan drives dynamically, Everything indexes your file system, creating a lightweight database of file and folder names. This architectural difference is pivotal to its performance.
Upon installation, Everything quickly builds its initial index. The time this takes depends on the size and complexity of your file system, but subsequent indexing and updates are incredibly fast, almost imperceptible. The application then resides in the system tray, ready to spring into action. When you invoke the search bar (which can be done with a customizable hotkey), the interface appears instantly, and as you begin typing your search query, results populate below in real-time. This immediate feedback is a significant productivity booster, eliminating the frustrating wait associated with conventional search tools.
The user interface of Everything is intentionally minimalist and functional. The focus is squarely on delivering fast search results without unnecessary clutter. The search bar is prominent, and the results list displays key information such as file name, path, size, and modification date. While basic, the interface is highly effective for its primary purpose.
Beyond simple name-based searches, Everything offers a range of parameters and filtering options to refine your results. You can search by file size, date modified, file type, and more. The application also supports regular expressions, providing advanced users with powerful tools for constructing complex and precise search queries. This flexibility makes Everything suitable for a wide range of search needs, from finding a specific document you edited yesterday to locating all images of a certain size within a particular folder.
Everything's integration with Windows Explorer is another valuable feature. By adding a context menu extension, you can initiate searches directly from within Explorer windows, making it seamless to find files related to the folder you are currently browsing. Furthermore, you can perform basic file management operations such as copying, pasting, deleting, and renaming files directly from the Everything results list. This consolidates several common tasks into a single, fast interface.
For those who need portability, Everything offers a standalone version that doesn't require installation. This is particularly useful for IT professionals or anyone who needs to quickly search files on different machines without leaving a trace. The portable version retains all the core functionality of the installed version, making it a highly flexible tool.
One of the key advantages of Everything is its incredibly low resource consumption. Despite indexing your entire file system and providing real-time updates, it uses surprisingly little CPU and memory. This makes it an ideal tool for systems with limited resources or for users who are conscious about background process overhead.
While primarily focused on name-based searching, Everything does offer limited content searching capabilities, though this is not its core strength compared to dedicated content search tools. However, for lightning-fast retrieval of files and folders by name, Everything is unparalleled.
In summary, Everything is an indispensable utility for any Windows user who values speed and efficiency in file searching. Its instantaneous results, real-time indexing, minimal resource usage, and helpful features like filtering and Explorer integration make it a significant upgrade over the built-in Windows search. It's a highly recommended tool for streamlining your workflow and quickly accessing your data.