The search feature on Windows 11 has been improved; however, it can still be slow, not find what you are looking for, or not work correctly. Luckily, there is a free third-party utility you can use instead that does a much better job. As its name implies, Everything (by Voidtools) finds everything on your PC.

Everything is a third-party tool designed to make searching on Windows more efficient. It indexes file and folder names and constantly tracks modifications and re-indexes them. It’s extremely light on system resources with an intuitive user interface. It also has a portable version you can carry with you when troubleshooting or managing files and folders on other PCs. There are some good reasons to ditch Windows search and use Everything instead, so let’s examine them.

8 Lightweight

A better choice for older low-end PCs

Everything is a small installation file and uses minimal system resources like CPU and RAM. On the other hand, Windows search is more resource-intensive and bogs down your system, especially when indexing and querying large drives containing a lot of data. It is also a better solution to Windows search on old and low-end systems (like old Windows 10 PCs) since the standard search can bog down your Windows experience while trying to find specific files and folders.

7 Faster results

A more responsive search

When you type in a query in Everything, you get the results instantaneously. You also get results from all directories on your system. Its index represents the entire PC's local drive, so you can pull the results from where you want them. Regardless of what directory an important file may reside on your PC, Everything finds them fast.

6 See hidden system files

Shows hidden files and folders by default

Everything displays hidden system files and folders by default. So, if you use the portable version, it makes for a quality troubleshooting tool, not just for finding documents. For instance, sometimes you need to know if a system file exists, and if it doesn’t, you can recreate it or replace it with a different system. With Everything, you no longer have to go through the process of showing hidden files on Windows.

5 Easy installation

Have it up and running in under a minute

Since this is a light-weight system utility, installing it on your PC is a cinch. You only need to work through the basic installation wizard you’re used to for installing other apps, choose some options (that you can change later), and have it ready to use in seconds. Once it opens, you can enter your first query and experience the blazing-fast results.

4 Real-time updating

Indexing happens as files are modified

Another benefit of Everything is that files are updated to its index in real time, as they are renamed, added, and removed. This leads to nearly instant new query results each time you use it. On the other hand, Windows search takes time to update its index, leading to delayed results when files are modified.

3 Portability

Run it on any PC from a flash drive

One of the benefits of the Everything search tool is that there’s a portable version. This allows you to run it on any PC from a flash drive. You can plug your drive into an older Windows PC or a newer one, for that matter, and find the files and folders you need from them. This can save you a lot of time if Windows search on those other computers is acting up or not working. The free search app is one of the most important ones I keep on my flash drive for troubleshooting systems.

2 Search network drives

It can be used to search shared drives

When configured correctly, Everything can index network drives, making it a useful search tool for searching across shared drives. Keep in mind that drives need to be formatted as NTFS; otherwise, the content will not be indexed. Windows search doesn’t natively search network drives with fast and efficient search. It’s also important to note that you can add connected external drives to Everything's indexed database provided they are formatted with NTFS.

1 The price

It’s free

If all the features don’t impress you, maybe the price point will be $0. Yup, Everything is completely free to use and doesn’t include ads, bloatware, or attempts to upsell you on extra features. Windows Search, on the other hand, incorporates Bing for online search, which you may find intrusive, with occasional ads for other Microsoft products. Nothing is more annoying than nagware or trialware that continuously bugs you into purchasing the product. Everything is not that. However, the developer welcomes donations.

Everything from Voidtools is a must-have app for searching for files and folders on your PC

I have been using Everything for years. While I may not install it on all my computers, I definitely have the portable version ready to go on my USB flash drives. It’s a handy tool when Windows search is running slowly or not working at all. For instance, I prefer to use it on older Windows 10 laptops rather than Microsoft search. Even on brand-new Windows 11 systems, I may use it because it's responsive, effective, and straightforward to use.

When Windows search gets bogged down on the newest Windows 11 PC, you don’t have time to waste troubleshooting the problem. Instead, just use Everything to find and access the files and folders you need. You can then figure out why Windows search isn't working correctly. However, it's important to note that if you are trying to find items in OneDrive, you will probably want to stick with Windows search, and use Everything for local drive searches.