Do you use VoidTools' Everything search engine on your computer to quickly find files? Everything.NET is an open source project that adds a cool dark mode to the popular desktop search engine, along with some enhancements.
Everything.NET is not a standalone program, you need VoidTools' Everything running in the background. On the plus side, the frontend works with the the portable version of the search engine application. Since it is based on .NET, you'll need .NET 5.0 Runtime installed to use the program. You can get the framework from Microsoft's website.
Once you have the framework installed, run the Everything search engine's executable, followed by the Eveything.NET.EXE. The dark background of the frontend tool makes it easier to read the text. Enter a minimum of 2 characters to perform a query, the main application starts displaying the result with just one character, and I find the former to be the slightly better option here as the number of results are lower, which in turn makes it easier to find what you're looking for if you don't remember the full name of the file or folder.
The overall performance of the tool remains the same as it relies on the desktop search engine, so let's see what new features the frontend brings. Right-click on a file in the results pane to access the Explorer context menu, the keyboard shortcut for this is Shift + F10, and the hotkey's menu offers some additional options. Tap the up arrow key on your keyboard and Everything.NET will display the previous word that you searched for, which is similar to how you would check the history in a Command prompt window. But the downside here is that you're limited to just 1 item from the search history.
Now, you may have used the Up arrow key for navigating the search results in Everything. The frontend supports that as well, but to use it you need to hit the Down arrow key first, which shifts the focus away from the search box to the results pane, and then use the up/down keys for navigating. Sort the results by clicking on the corresponding column.
You can't minimize Everything.NET to the system tray. To close the program, hit the Escape key.
Everything.NET has a few issues. While the right-click menu works with files, it does not support folders which means you cannot access the additional options that the original program offers. A comment left by the mod developer's website on Voidtools' forums indicates that the folder menu will not be added. I also noticed that the context menu doesn't for files that are located in the ProgramData folder. The frontend has 4 columns, and you cannot add/remove columns, even if you change the settings in the main application.
The entire menubar from Everything is missing as well, along with the various options they offer (open list, export, save, etc). But remember, Everything is running in the background, so you can use the official application for features that the frontend tool lacks.
I think Everything.NET improves the search engine with some nifty little additions, while retaining the core search function intact, and by cutting out the more complex options it may have actually made the experience a bit more user-friendly.
Don't forget to check out Everything Toolbar, it adds a search field to the Taskbar for faster searches.
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