Everything Review: Instant File Search Windows Should Have Built
A tiny freeware tool that finds any file on your PC as fast as you can type – no cloud, no telemetry, no nonsense.
Boris WeberBe honest: how often have you typed a file name into the Windows search box, watched the spinner and ended up with web results instead of the document you saved yesterday? That frustration is exactly why Everything by voidtools has become a permanent fixture on so many power users' PCs. It does one thing – finding files and folders by name – and it does it so quickly that it changes how you use your computer. The current stable version is 1.4.1.1032 from January 2026, and a 1.5 beta is in public testing. We looked at whether this little utility still deserves its cult status.
First impressions and installation
Everything is freeware; voidtools only asks for a donation if you like it. The download page offers a regular installer, a portable ZIP and a "Lite" installer, each in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours. The Lite build drops the ETP/FTP server, the HTTP server and the IPC interface, which also means the command-line tool ES, the SDK and screen readers will not work with it – so most people should simply take the normal version. There are no bundled offers, no account and no subscription. Even better for privacy fans: voidtools explicitly promises no user data collection, no telemetry, and that the program runs entirely offline.
System requirements are refreshingly old-school: the FAQ lists everything from Windows XP to Windows 11. To read NTFS drives directly, Everything needs either administrator rights or the Everything service. The service is the smarter choice, because it lets the program run as a standard user without a UAC prompt every time you open it.
Then comes the moment that wins people over. On first launch, Everything builds its index. According to voidtools, a fresh Windows 11 installation with roughly 250,000 files takes about five seconds, and a million files take about a minute. After that, there is no waiting at all.
Search as you type
The interface could hardly be more minimal: a search box, a results list with Name, Path, Size and Date Modified columns, and a status bar. Start typing, and the list filters with every keystroke. Type "invoice" and you instantly see every file with that word in its name, on every NTFS drive. There is no "searching..." phase, because Everything does not crawl folders when you search – it reads the NTFS Master File Table once and then follows the USN Journal to keep the index current in real time. Save a file, rename a folder, delete a download: the results update immediately.
The resource numbers explain why people leave it running all day. Voidtools states about 35 MB of RAM and under 14 MB of disk space for a fresh Windows 11 install, and about 100 MB of RAM and 45 MB of disk for a million files. On a modern PC that is barely noticeable.
One important limitation: Everything indexes file and folder names, not their contents. You can search inside files with the content: function, but voidtools itself warns that this is slow, because the files have to be read at search time. If you mainly need full-text search through documents and e-mails, a dedicated desktop search tool is the better fit.
Search syntax for power users
Simple searches need no syntax at all, but the real fun starts when you combine operators. A space means AND, a vertical bar means OR, and an exclamation mark means NOT. So \documents !draft *.docx finds Word files in any folder called Documents, minus the drafts. Wildcards like *.jpg|*.png work as expected, and adding a drive letter such as d: limits the search to that drive.
Functions take it further. size:>100mb quickly reveals the space hogs on a drive, dm:today shows everything modified today, and ext: filters by one or more extensions. Macros like audio:, video:, doc: and zip: save typing, and regex: brings full regular expressions for the true nerds. The Search menu has toggles for Match Case, Match Whole Words, Match Path and Match Diacritics, and you can save frequent searches in the Bookmarks menu.
If all that sounds like homework, open Advanced Search from the Search menu. It lets you fill in plain fields – all these words, this exact phrase, none of these words, a folder, a size range and a date range – and Everything translates them into the right query. It is a great way to learn the syntax along the way.
Hidden extras: network drives and a built-in web server
Everything automatically indexes local NTFS volumes, but you are not stuck with them. Under Tools > Options > Folders you can add FAT32 and exFAT drives, mapped network drives, NAS shares and other folders. Those locations are not tracked through the NTFS journal, so their index depends on folder monitoring and scheduled rescans – not quite as instant, but it works.
Even more surprising for such a small program: Everything contains an HTTP server. In Tools > Options, enable "Enable HTTP server", and other devices on your network can search your PC's index from a web browser. There is also an ETP/FTP server for connecting another Everything instance. These are features for home labs and small offices, and they should only be switched on deliberately – but it is nice to know they are there.
What about the future? The 1.5 beta is available as a 64-bit installer and portable ZIP. It has been in testing for a long time, so most users should stick with 1.4.1 for now and treat the beta as a preview for enthusiasts. If you want Everything in your Windows 11 taskbar, the separate EverythingToolbar project adds a search box there.
How it compares
The Windows Start menu search covers files, apps and web results, but it relies on the Windows Search indexer and is notoriously inconsistent for plain file names. WizFile from the makers of WizTree is the closest rival: it also reads the Master File Table and finds files almost instantly, but with a simpler feature set and no server extras. UltraSearch takes a similar MFT-based approach and is also free. Listary goes in a different direction as a launcher that integrates into file dialogs and Explorer, with advanced features reserved for the paid Pro version. For pure speed, flexibility and price, Everything still sets the standard.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Finds files by name practically instantly, with real-time index updates
- Very low memory and disk usage, according to the vendor's own figures
- Powerful search syntax plus an Advanced Search dialog for beginners
- Freeware with installer, portable and Lite versions; no telemetry
- Extras like network folder indexing and an HTTP server
Cons
- Searches names only; content search is slow
- Interface looks dated and is not optimized for touch
- Non-NTFS drives and network shares need manual setup and can lag behind
- Version 1.5 has been in beta for a long time
Our verdict
Everything is one of those rare utilities that you install once and then wonder how you ever worked without it. It is tiny, free, respects your privacy and replaces the most frustrating part of Windows search with something that simply works – instantly. Power users will love the syntax and the HTTP server, beginners can rely on the search box and Advanced Search. Only if you need full-text search through document contents should you look elsewhere or combine it with another tool. For everyone else, Everything belongs on every Windows PC.
UpdateStar rating: 5/5
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About Author
Boris Weber
I am an editor at UpdateStar. I started as a support engineer, and am now specialized in writing about general software topics from a usability and performance angle among others. I telecommute from UpdateStar’s Berlin office, when I am not working remote as a digital nomad for UpdateStar.