< the skull MY EVERYTHING SETUP =================== 2026-04-28 Windows Search has improved over the years, but for finding files by name, I still do not trust it as my main tool. My recommendation is simple: use Everything by Voidtools. Not because it is fancy. Because it is fast, predictable, lightweight, and does the one job Windows Search often fumbles: finding files and folders immediately. This is the setup I use/recommend after installing Everything on Windows. * 1\. Installation choices ------------------------ During installation, use: * Settings and data location: `%APPDATA%\Everything` * NTFS indexing: `Install Everything Service` Do not choose: * `Run as administrator` * `No NTFS indexing` The service is the cleaner option. It lets Everything monitor NTFS volumes properly without forcing the app itself to run as administrator all the time. * 2\. Installer options --------------------- Recommended: Option Setting Check for updates on startup Off Start Everything with Windows On Install folder context menus On Install Start Menu shortcuts On Desktop shortcut Optional; I usually leave it off Quick Launch shortcut Off ES URL protocol On Associate EFU files with Everything On Automatically index fixed NTFS volumes On The goal is to make Everything always available, but not noisy. * 3\. Startup search behavior --------------------------- Keep the default search mode simple. Recommended: Option Setting Match case Off, or use last value Match whole word Off Match path Off Match diacritics Off Match regex Off Search Everything, or use last value Filter Everything, or use last value Sort Use last value View Use last value Index Local database The important part: do not leave regex, whole-word matching, or path matching enabled by default. That is how you make normal searches look broken. Advanced search should be something you enable when needed, not something that sabotages every basic query. * 4\. Search settings ------------------- Recommended: Option Setting Fast ASCII search On Match path when search contains a path separator On Match whole filename when using wildcards On Allow literal operators Off Allow bracket grouping Off Expand environment variables Off Replace forward slashes with backslashes Off Operator precedence OR > AND I leave slash replacement off because I do not want the search box doing too much invisible magic. If you frequently paste Unix-style paths into Windows, then enabling it may make sense. * 5\. Results behavior -------------------- This is the big one. Turn on: * Hide results when the search is empty Without this, Everything opens by dumping millions of indexed objects on screen: caches, modules, dependencies, internal folders, and random junk you were not looking for. Recommended: Option Setting Hide results when search is empty On Clear selection when searching On Close window after opening item On Open path on double-click Off Auto-scroll preview Off Copy quotes around paths Off Do not select extension when renaming On Sort date descending first On Sort size descending first On Result list focus Fixed Icon loading priority Normal Thumbnail loading priority Normal Extended information loading priority Normal This makes Everything feel like a launcher/search tool, not a firehose. * 6\. Visual settings ------------------- Recommended: Option Setting Double buffering On Alternating row color On Show row under mouse On Highlight search terms On Show selected item in status bar On Show result count with selection count Off Show size in status bar On Show tooltips On Update display immediately after scrolling Off Size format Automatic if available; otherwise KB Selection rectangle System default These settings make long result lists easier to read without making the UI heavier than necessary. * 7\. Context menu ---------------- This is mostly personal preference. It does not affect performance. I keep: * Open * Open Path * Copy Name * Copy Path * Copy Full Name I usually hide or demote duplicate Explorer-style entries unless I actually use them. Do not overthink this section. It is cosmetic. * 8\. History ----------- For a personal machine, I recommend: Option Setting Enable search history On Keep search history for 90 days On Always show search suggestions On Enable run history On Keep run history for 90 days On But there is a privacy tradeoff. If the machine is shared, or if you frequently search for sensitive files, turn history off. Convenience is not free; it leaves traces. * 9\. Index settings ------------------ Recommended: Option Setting Database location Blank/default Multi-user database name Off Compress database Off Index recent changes On Index file size On Index folder size Off Index creation date Optional; useful for downloads, photos, and newly created files Index modified date On Index accessed date Off Index attributes Off Fast size sort On Fast creation date sort On if creation date is indexed Fast modified date sort On Fast path sort On Fast extension sort On I do not recommend indexing folder size by default. It sounds useful, but it often adds cost without much daily value. I also avoid accessed date. It changes for reasons that are not always meaningful and usually creates more confusion than insight. * 10\. NTFS settings ------------------ At the top: Option Setting Automatically include new fixed volumes On Automatically include new removable volumes Off Automatically remove offline volumes On For each local NTFS volume, use: Option Setting Include in database On Include only Blank Enable USN Journal On Maximum size 32768 KB is fine Allocation delta Keep default/current value Include USN Journal in recent changes Off Monitor changes On The important combo is: * Enable USN Journal * Monitor changes That is what keeps Everything updated in real time. * 11\. Exclusions --------------- Do not blindly exclude hidden files or system files. Recommended base settings: Option Setting Exclude hidden files and folders Off Exclude system files and folders Off Enable exclude list On Why not exclude hidden/system files? Because useful things live in places like `AppData`, config folders, profiles, tool directories, and application data. If you exclude too aggressively, you will eventually search for something and think Everything failed, when in reality you told it to ignore the file. The better strategy is to exclude specific garbage. Recommended developer-noise exclusions: C:\Users\pablo\go\pkg\mod\* C:\Users\pablo\go\pkg\sumdb\* *\node_modules\* *\.git\* *\__pycache__\* *\.venv\* *\venv\* *\target\* *\dist\* *\build\* If you want a more conservative version, start with only: C:\Users\pablo\go\pkg\mod\* C:\Users\pablo\go\pkg\sumdb\* *\node_modules\* *\.git\* The Go module cache is a common offender. Folders like: C:\Users\pablo\go\pkg\mod\... can flood results with dependency names that are technically valid files, but mostly useless for daily search. Do not exclude all of `AppData`. That is too blunt. Do not exclude an entire project drive unless you are absolutely sure. Exclude the noisy subfolder, not the whole drive. * Final checklist --------------- My recommended Everything setup: * Store settings in `%APPDATA%\Everything` * Install the Everything Service * Start Everything with Windows * Index fixed NTFS volumes automatically * Keep USN Journal and change monitoring enabled * Hide results when the search box is empty * Keep basic search simple by default * Enable fast sorting for size, modified date, path, and extension * Do not exclude hidden/system folders globally * Exclude specific developer noise: Go module cache, `node_modules`, `.git`, virtual environments, and build folders That is the sweet spot: fast, clean, predictable, and not self-sabotaging. Everything should help you find things, not make you stare at 10 million random objects before typing a single character. < the skull