If Windows' built-in search has ever taken longer than it should to find a file you know exists, that's exactly the gap Everything fills — it indexes file and folder names across your entire NTFS drive almost instantly by reading the Master File Table directly rather than scanning contents. It's Windows-only, so there's no macOS or Linux build to look for. The tool is free with no paid tier at all, just a small donation option, which is unusual compared to most utilities in this category.
Why It's So Much Faster Than Windows Search
Everything doesn't scan your drive's files or content — it reads the NTFS Master File Table directly, which is why indexing an entire drive takes seconds rather than the minutes or hours a content-based search would need.
Because it only indexes names rather than file content, it's not a replacement for searching inside documents; it's purpose-built for quickly locating a file or folder by name across a large drive.
Who ends up using Everything
Everything is used by power users who search for files constantly and find Windows' native search too slow for daily use.
- Developers and power users jumping between deeply nested project folders by filename
- IT support techs quickly locating a file across an entire large drive during troubleshooting
- Anyone replacing slow Windows Explorer search with near-instant filename lookups
Before you install
A couple of things worth knowing about Everything before you request the link: it only ships for Windows, so double-check that's the machine you're installing it on before you request the link. And on pricing, Everything is free to use outright — there's no paid tier hiding behind it, so what you install is the whole app. It's developed and maintained by voidtools.
System requirements
- WindowsWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit); older 7/8.1 builds usually still run but no longer get official support
It's a lightweight tool, so there's no serious CPU/RAM/storage requirement beyond what its OS already needs to run comfortably.
Quick steps
- Download the installer or portable version from the link below
- Launch it and let the initial index build automatically
- Start typing a filename in the search bar to see instant results
Everything: the honest trade-offs
- Indexes an entire NTFS drive in seconds by reading the Master File Table directly
- Completely free with no paid tier, just an optional donation
- Extremely lightweight, using minimal RAM and CPU even while running constantly
- Windows-only, with no macOS or Linux version available
- Searches filenames only, not file contents, so it can't replace a content-search tool
The download here is voidtools' own official build of Everything, unaltered from what's published on voidtools.com.
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Keeping Everything up to date
Everything typically checks for updates from inside the app, or you can just re-download the current installer from the official source periodically — reinstalling over the top keeps your settings. Sticking to the developer's own distribution channel — which is what this page links to — means you're never stuck on an old build with unpatched bugs just because a mirror site stopped updating its copy.
Features, install steps, alternatives and more detail live on the main Everything page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Everything search inside file contents, like a document's text?
No, it indexes file and folder names only, which is what makes it near-instant compared to content-search tools.
Does Everything work on non-NTFS drives or external drives?
It works best on NTFS drives via the MFT; other file systems fall back to a slower folder-scan method for indexing.
