Windows incorporates within its features with its own built-in search engine with which to search all kinds of our content on our computer. With it, we can choose between doing simple searches in which only the contents of the folders where there are usually our own files are indexed in the results, as well as an advanced mode that does not index everything. Its main problem is that it is not fast at all and is sometimes not very effective. Therefore, instead, we can use a search engine such as Everything , more complete and with which we can obtain faster searches.
Everything, search files and folders instantly
When talking about Everything, we are talking about a file browser for Windows that has been created by the Voidtools company. With this tool we can find any file that is available on our hard drive quickly and efficiently , which makes it one of the best alternatives to the Windows search engine. Everything allows us to perform different types of filters when viewing our searches. In addition, we will see in real time any changes we make to the Windows 10 file system. This powerful search engine also allows us to perform remote searches with any device on the network as it includes its own HTTP server.
With Everything we can also save our searches as favorites , so that we can always have them available at any time. It is ideal if we always end up doing very repetitive searches. To do this, it uses a metadata file in the NTFS Master File Table that guarantees an immediate response to any search we carry out, being much faster and more efficient than the search engine that Windows incorporates by default. In addition, we are talking about a completely free application, simple to use and light, since it only takes up little more than 1 MB.
Hide the Windows 10 search bar
Once we have decided to replace the Windows 10 search engine with Everything, we can proceed to remove or hide the wide search bar from the taskbar. In this way we can save space on our desk, something that we will appreciate, if we use a small screen or a laptop. Visually removing the Windows search bar forever is a very simple process that will only take a couple of steps.
In this way, the first thing we must do is place the mouse pointer on the toolbar. Later we will click with the right button on them and a drop-down menu will appear. Within this menu we go to the “Search” section and three options will appear, of which we must select “Hidden” . In this way we will be able to hide the Windows search bar and we will get more space available on the task bar to run Everything instead.
Install and configure Everything on the taskbar
The first thing we must do is have Everything installed on our computer. In case we don’t have it installed, you can download it for free from its official website . When we have downloaded it, we only have to run the installer and its wizard will guide us through all the steps until the installation is completed quickly. After the installation, we must execute it. Once executed, we can close it if we wish, staying running in the background .
Download and install Everything Toolbar
Next, we need to download the latest version of Everything Toolbar from here . It is a free and open source program that will allow us to add Everything to the Windows taskbar , so that we can write our searches directly from the taskbar, just like the original Windows search engine.
Now we must unzip the zip file that we have downloaded, open the resulting folder and click with the right mouse button on the install.cmd file. A contextual menu will open where we must select the option “Run as administrator” so that it is installed on our toolbar. During the installation, a command prompt window will open where the installation process is displayed, which we must close.
Configure the toolbar
Later we click with the right button of the mouse any free space on the toolbar. Within the options that appear click on “Task Manager”. Here we must restart the file explorer by clicking on the “Restart” button.
We right-click on the toolbar again and now we make sure that the option “Lock the taskbar” is disabled , in order to be able to move elements on the bar.
Once we have made sure that the Lock the toolbar option is disabled, we right-click on the toolbar again. This time we select from the Toolbar menu, and then click on New Toolbar , where we must select Everything . Now it will appear in the toolbar on the right side. We can increase its size and move it if we wish to the left.
Uninstall when you no longer need it
In the event that at any time we want to uninstall the Everything search bar, it will only be necessary to execute the unistall.cmd file that we will find inside the Everything Toolbar folder and use the option of Run as administrator.
Use Everything Toolbar as the default search engine
Once Everything Toolbar is installed, we can already perform extremely fast searches , just by looking for the name of the file or folder we are looking for. If we think that it will only help us to find documents or files, then we will also be able to gain access to various menus and options, as well as other applications, including functions, which can save us a great deal of time.
When doing the search we will notice that the list that appears is of limited use since it only shows the names of the files and folders, as well as their modification date. Therefore, if we look for a name that contains several files, we may not be able to distinguish it. To solve this we can enable the detailed view by right-clicking on the search bar and choosing the option “Detailed View” within the menu and thus have more information in the list of results.
It not only works to find files
Every time we carry out a search, all possible data appears, both files and folders. At the top of the search, it allows us to determine what types of results we want to see. In this way we can select all files (“All”) only files (“Files”) or only folders (“Folders”). This will help us to locate the desired file more quickly.
In the Everything Toolbar menu we can also activate other parameters that can help us in our searches. These parameters can be regular expressions, a match path, and different ways of ordering the results obtained. Most of the search parameters come directly from the Everything app such as what files, locations and data are indexed.