The search is as broken as ever.
Im still waiting for bulk renaming, file locks, a bookmarks bar, or secure deletion.
Panes have limited file previews and organization is bare bones.
Lets fix it all.
Thats why looking up files in Explorer can take such a long time.
On occasion, I have manually located a file faster than Explorer search.
Thats why I switched toEverything.
Everything is an incredibly lightweight and fast search engine.
Think of it asSpotlight, except for Windows.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek
It can pull up any file or folder on your gear instantly.
Theres even an Advanced Search feature.
Whenever you update or add a file, Everything indexes it right away.
Microsoft
It builds its database within seconds of the first installation, and it scans for changes in real time.
Its so fast that you dont even have to complete the query to retrieve a file or folder.
It pulls up files as you pop in.
you could even search through data pipe folders.
Just press the hotkeyCtrl+N by defaultand start typing.
It takes very few resources to run Everything and its completely free.
Microsoft
If you have a lot of files on your gear,Everything is a must-have.
Work Faster With PowerToys
PowerToys isnt built into Windows, but it is an official Microsoft product.
Its a set of utilities designed to enhance workflows on Windows.
Microsoft
Its installed as a single program and gives you access to a whole library of amazingly useful tools.
Let’s take a look at a few of these utilities (there area lot more).
How about customized window tiling?
Microsoft
you’re able to create custom layouts tosplit the screen into custom zonesusing FancyZones.
Preview panes on Windows show the contents of a file without opening it.
Sadly, its mostly limited to image previews.
If your workflow involves jumping between files often, PowerToys can save you some time.
Ever run into the error you cant delete this file because its being used by another process?
It can be time-consuming and might not always work.
Explorer++
Let the File Locksmith utility in PowerToys automatically find and terminate that program for you.
Bulk rename files with PowerRename.
Use the color picker anywhere on your screen or any app with a hotkey.
Explorer++
Paste text in any format using Advanced Paste.
Resize images on the fly with Image Resizer (launched from the right-click context menu).
Or instantly launch apps with PowerToys Run.
Just press Alt+Space and jot down in the app name (it only indexes apps).
PowerToysis a must-have for power users.
Plus, its free and lightweight.
WithFile Juggler, you’re able to set rules to automatically move files into folders.
It can automatically rename, delete, and copy files into folders too.
That way you dont have to deal with ever-growing clutter on your setup.
Itll monitor new documents and organize them too.
You only have to set it up once.
After that, File Juggler will take over any incoming files.
It lets me quickly bookmark locations and access them quickly.
A clean bookmark stands out, and its just more convenient.
Plenty of alternative file explorers have a bookmark manager, but I use Explorer++.
It has tabbed browsing and a robust bookmark manager.
you might bookmark a directory with Ctrl+D just like you would in a surfing app.
It then appears on the dedicated bookmarks bar on top.
Explorer++ also offers a few other neat options.
Consider its “Destroy File” feature.
In Explorer++, you’ve got the option to permanently delete files using the Destory File button.
you’re free to also split or merge files.
Explorer++ is freeware and lightweight.
Its UI is also customizable, so you’re free to make it fit your particular workflow.
Think of the index as the table of contents for a book.
After the reference is gone, the file might eventually be overwritten with another because it’s marked available.
Before its overwritten though, its prettyeasy to undelete it.
Thats what Eraser does.
Eraser is a freeware utility that deletes files by overwriting them multiple times.
Once youve deleted a file like that, its impossible to recover it.
Its so effective, in fact, that the United States government recommends it for wiping devices.
you’ve got the option to delete a file with Eraser from the right-click context menu.
It might take a little longer than regular deletion though (especially for bigger files).
You candownload Eraserfrom the official website.
