# Everything

> Instant file and folder name search for Windows

Everything is a freeware search tool for Windows from voidtools that finds files and folders by name as you type. It indexes names rather than contents, so building the index takes seconds, and it keeps results current by watching the file system in real time. The vendor states that it runs entirely offline, with no telemetry and no user data collection.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** voidtools PTY LTD
- **Website:** https://www.voidtools.com
- **Runs on:** Windows
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Everything is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** Everything is freeware with no paid edition. The developer asks users to consider donating.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Everything | $0 | Freeware in installer, portable ZIP and Lite builds, with 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM downloads. Donations are optional. |

Read from https://www.voidtools.com/faq/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Everything before buying.

## Key features

- **Instant filename search:** Starts by listing every file and folder on the PC and narrows the list as you type. Only names are indexed: about 250,000 files on a fresh Windows 11 install take about 5 seconds.
- **Real-time index updates:** Results update as files change. NTFS indexes are kept current through the USN Journal, so changes made while Everything was closed are picked up when it restarts.
- **Search syntax:** Supports boolean operators, wildcards, file-type and location filters and optional regular expressions. A content: function searches inside files, but contents are not indexed, so it is slow.
- **Low resource use:** The vendor quotes about 35 MB of RAM and under 14 MB of disk space for roughly 250,000 files, and about 100 MB of RAM for 1,000,000 files.
- **HTTP and ETP/FTP servers:** Search and open your files from a web browser on another computer, phone or tablet on the local network. Version 1.4 includes the servers; for version 1.5 they are separate plugins.
- **Command line and SDK:** The ES command-line tool queries a running copy of Everything, and the SDK gives other programs a DLL and Lib interface to it over IPC.

## Good for

- Windows users who want to find files and folders by name as they type
- Drives holding hundreds of thousands or millions of files
- Scripts and other programs that need a file index through the command line or SDK

## Worth knowing

- Windows only; the FAQ lists Windows XP through Windows 11.
- It indexes file and folder names, not contents. Searching inside files is possible but slow.
- NTFS indexing needs the Everything service or administrator rights, and FAT volumes and network shares must be added as folder indexes by hand.
- The Lite build removes the HTTP and ETP/FTP servers and IPC, so the command-line tool and SDK do not work with it.

**Tags:** File management, Works offline, Local-first

## Alternatives

- [Listary](https://toolgpa.com/tools/listary): File search and app launcher for Windows with Quick Switch. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/everything-vs-listary)
- [Flow Launcher](https://toolgpa.com/tools/flow-launcher): Free, open-source app launcher and file search for Windows. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/everything-vs-flow-launcher)
- [Microsoft PowerToys](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-powertoys): Free Microsoft utilities for customizing Windows 10 and 11. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/everything-vs-microsoft-powertoys)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.voidtools.com/
- https://www.voidtools.com/faq/
- https://www.voidtools.com/downloads/
- https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/
- https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/http/
- https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/etp/
- https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/sdk/
- https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/command_line_interface/
- https://www.voidtools.com/about/
- https://www.voidtools.com/donate/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/everything
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).