Almost everyone can relate to the feeling of trying to find that one obscure file on your Windows drive only for it to churn through everything on your computer, taking forever to find the right result. And, if you’re like me, you’ve probably wondered why you’re stuck staring at the spinning “searching…” message when a company such as Microsoft could probably find a better way to index files and folders. That’s why I started using a tiny tool called Everything, and now I’ll never go back.
Everything is a lightweight Windows app that instantly finds files and folders on your PC. And when I say instantly, I mean it. The moment you start typing in the search bar, results appear in real time. No waiting around while your computer slowly crawls through folders.
The reason it’s so fast is because Everything indexes your file names when it launches. This means it can search your entire drive in a fraction of a second. When I’m looking for a specific document, installer, or screenshot floating somewhere in the ether of my folders, I just type a few letters and like some omniscient indexing God, Everything delivers it immediately.
The interface is about as simple as it gets: one search bar and a list of results. However, it also supports advanced search filters, wildcards, and sorting options if you want to narrow things down further.
The program is extremely lightweight and uses very little system resources, running quietly in the background without slowing anything down. Everything’s search can be accessed via an icon in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar at any time. Alternatively, you can link the taskbar search field directly to Everything, replacing Windows Search entirely.
If you regularly search for files on your PC, Everything is one of those small utilities that can make a surprisingly big difference. Give it a try and save yourself some time.
Author: Sam Singleton, Assistant Editor, PCWorld
Sam Singleton is PCWorld's VPN beat reporter and jack of all trades. When he's not on the hunt for the best computer deals he's covering VPNs, productivity software, laptops, and a wide gamut of consumer-grade hardware and software.