Everything: when to install it, and when not to
Instant filename search on Windows. It reads the filesystem index directly, so results appear as you type rather than after a crawl. On a machine with…
The short version
Everything: Finds any file on your drives the instant you start typing, because it reads the NTFS index directly instead of crawling folders. Once you have used it, Windows Search becomes unusable. Windows only.
| Licence / price | Free · Closed source |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows |
| Category | Files & Organisation — 6 programs |
| Official download | https://www.voidtools.com/downloads/ ↗ |
What it is for
Instant filename search on Windows. It reads the filesystem index directly, so results appear as you type rather than after a crawl. On a machine with years of accumulated files, this changes how you find things.
When to pick something else
It is Windows-only and it searches names, not contents. If you need to find a phrase inside documents, this is the wrong tool, and if you are on macOS or Linux there is no equivalent here.
How it compares in Files & Organisation
These are the alternatives we would consider for the same job. The notes are the same ones used on the main list, so there is no separate ranking hiding on this page.
| Program | Licence / price | Platforms | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-Dir Publisher's site ↗ | Free · Closed source | Windows | Four file panes in one window, which turns most copy-and-move chores into drag-and-drop. A single small .exe, no install, runs happily from a USB stick. |
| Bulk Rename Utility Publisher's site ↗ | Free for personal use | Windows | Ugly, dense, and able to rename ten thousand files by pattern in one pass, with live preview before you commit. If you only rename a few files a year, Windows' own rename tool is enough. |
Practical notes
- Let it run at startup; that is the one utility on this list where a resident process is the point.
- Learn two operators, a path fragment and a file extension filter, before assuming you need a more complex search tool.
Questions people ask
Does it index file contents?
No, it indexes names and paths. That limitation is also why it is so fast.
Where it appears in our guides
See the full Files & Organisation explainer for the other 5 programs in this category.
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