Command Line Options

Configure and control the Everything program from the command line.

Usage
Searching
Installation

Usage

Everything.exe [options] [filename]

options: Optional switches to control installation, indexing, searching, search options, results, sorting, and the search window.
filename: Optionally specify a file or folder.
If an .efu file is specified, the Everything file list is opened.
If a file is specified, Everything sets the search to the file's full path.
If a folder is specified, Everything searches within that folder.

Requires Everything 1.5

Switches can start with either a dash (-) or forward slash (/).
For example:
/maximize is the same as -maximize

Dashes (-) inside switches can be omitted.
For example:
-wholewords is the same as -whole-words

Use double quotes (") to include spaces in a parameter.

Toggleable switches can be disabled by prefixing them with no-
For example:
-no-whole-words disables -whole-words

Use ^ to escape \, &, |, >, <, and ^ in a command prompt.

Searching

Command line options to control the search and search behavior.

-search <text>
-s <text>: Set the search to the specified text.
-search* <text>
-s* <text>: Set the search to the specified text.
Treat the rest of the command line as literal search text.

Requires Everything 1.5
-case
-no-case: Enable or disable case matching.
-diacritics
-no-diacritics: Enable or disable diacritics matching.
-whole-words
-no-whole-words
-ww
-no-ww: Enable or disable whole word matching.
-match-path
-no-match-path: Enable or disable full path matching.
-prefix
-no-prefix: Enable or disable matching the start of words.

Requires Everything 1.5
-suffix
-no-suffix: Enable or disable matching the end of words.

Requires Everything 1.5
-ignore-punctuation
-no-ignore-punctuation: Enable or disable ignoring punctuation in filenames.

Requires Everything 1.5
-ignore-whitespace
-no-ignore-whitespace: Enable or disable ignoring whitespace in filenames.

Requires Everything 1.5
-regex
-no-regex: Enable or disable regular expressions.
-filter <name>: Activate the filter with the specified name.
-bookmark <name>: Open the bookmark with the specified name.
-home: Open the home search.
-filename <filename>: Search for a file or folder with the specified filename.
If a file is specified, Everything sets the search to the file's full path.
If a folder is specified, Everything searches within that folder.
-path <path>
-p <path>: Search for files and folders in the specified location.
-parent-path <path>: Search for files and folders in the parent of the specified location.
-parent <path>: Search for files and folders directly in the specified location.
Does not search subfolders.
-name-part <filename>: Search for the whole name part of the specified filename.
-url <[es:]search>: Set the search from an es: URL.

Installation

Install, configure, or uninstall Everything features.

These command line options return immediately without opening an Everything search window.

Everything automatically prompts for administrative privileges when required.

-install-language <langID>: Set the language to the specified language ID in decimal.
1033 = English (US).
0 = System default.
See Language IDs for a list of langIDs.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-app-data
-no-app-data: Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything or in the same location as Everything.exe.
Requires administrative privileges.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-enable-update-notification
-disable-update-notification: Enable or disable update notifications on startup.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-install-run-on-system-startup
-install-current-user-run-on-system-startup
-uninstall-run-on-system-startup
-uninstall-current-user-run-on-system-startup: Add or remove Everything from system startup for the current user.
-install-all-users-run-on-system-startup
-uninstall-all-users-run-on-system-startup: Add or remove Everything from system startup for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-service
-uninstall-service: Install or uninstall the Everything service.
The service is started automatically.
Requires administrative privileges.
-start-service
-stop-service: Start or stop the Everything service.
-service-pipe-name <name>: Set the pipe name used to connect to the Everything service.
-install-service-pipe-name <name>: Set the pipe name used by the Everything service.
Must be used with -install-service.
Requires administrative privileges.
-enable-index-as-admin
-disable-index-as-admin: Enable or disable indexing in a separate process running as administrator.
Requires administrative privileges.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-enable-run-as-admin
-disable-run-as-admin: Enable or disable running Everything as administrator.
Requires administrative privileges.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-install-folder-context-menu
-install-current-user-folder-context-menu
-uninstall-folder-context-menu
-uninstall-current-user-folder-context-menu: Install or uninstall the Search Everything folder context menu item for the current user.
-install-all-users-folder-context-menu
-uninstall-all-users-folder-context-menu: Install or uninstall the Search Everything folder context menu item for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-start-menu-shortcuts
-install-current-user-start-menu-shortcuts
-uninstall-start-menu-shortcuts
-uninstall-current-user-start-menu-shortcuts: Create or remove the Everything shortcut in the Start menu for the current user.
-install-all-users-start-menu-shortcuts
-uninstall-all-users-start-menu-shortcuts: Create or remove the Everything shortcut in the Start menu for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-desktop-shortcut
-install-current-user-desktop-shortcut
-uninstall-desktop-shortcut
-uninstall-current-user-desktop-shortcut: Create or remove the desktop shortcut for the current user.
-install-all-users-desktop-shortcut
-uninstall-all-users-desktop-shortcut: Create or remove the desktop shortcut for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-url-protocol
-install-current-user-url-protocol
-uninstall-url-protocol
-uninstall-current-user-url-protocol: Install or uninstall the URL Protocol for the current user.
-install-all-users-url-protocol
-uninstall-all-users-url-protocol: Install or uninstall the URL Protocol for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-efu-association
-install-current-user-efu-association
-uninstall-efu-association
-uninstall-current-user-efu-association: Create or remove the EFU file association with Everything for the current user.
-install-all-users-efu-association
-uninstall-all-users-efu-association: Create or remove the EFU file association with Everything for all users.
Requires administrative privileges.
-choose-volumes: Do not automatically index volumes.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-enable-auto-index-fat-volumes
-disable-auto-index-fat-volumes: Enable or disable automatically FAT volume indexing.
Requires Everything to be closed.

Requires Everything 1.5
-create-usn-journal <volume> <max-size-bytes> <allocation-delta-bytes>: Create a USN Journal on the specifed volume with the specified maximum size and allocation delta in bytes.
Requires administrative privileges.
-delete-usn-journal <volume>: Delete the USN Journal on the specifed volume.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install <path>: Install Everything to the specified location.
Requires administrative privileges.
-install-options <command line options>: Command line options to pass to the newly installed Everything.exe.
Use with -install
-install-config <filename>: Install the specified configuration file.
The specified ini file is merged with any existing configuration file before any other install options are applied.
Requires Everything to be closed.
-uninstall [path]: Uninstall Everything from the specified path.
If no path is specified Everything is uninstalled from the Everything.exe location.
This removes Everything from system startup, removes the service, folder context menu, start menu shortcut, desktop shortcut, URL protocol, EFU file associations and deletes any files created by Everything.
Requires administrative privileges.
-uninstall-user: Uninstall Everything user files.
-install-client-service
-uninstall-client-service: Install or uninstall the "Everything" client as a service.
Useful for running plugins without having a user logged in.
Requires administrative privileges.
-start-client-service
-stop-client-service: Start or stop the Everything client service.

File Lists

Command line options to manipulate Everything file lists EFU files.

[file-list-filename]: Open the specified file list.
-create-file-list <filename> <path>: Create a file list of a path. When this command completes Everything.exe will exit, no search window is shown.
-create-file-list-exclude-files <filters>: Set a semicolon delimited wildcard filter of files to exclude with -create-file-list.
Prefix a filter with regex: to use Regex.
-create-file-list-exclude-folders <filters>: Set a semicolon delimited wildcard filter of folders to exclude with -create-file-list.
Prefix a filter with regex: to use Regex.
-create-file-list-include-only-files <filters>: Set a semicolon delimited wildcard filter of files to include only with -create-file-list.
Prefix a filter with regex: to use Regex.
-edit <filename>: Open the specified file list with the file list editor.
-f <filename>
-filelist <filename>: Open a file list.

ETP

Command line options to connect to an ETP server.

-admin-server-share-links
-server-share-links
-ftp-links
-drive-links: Link type for ETP connections. Use with -connect.
-connect <[username[:password]@]host[:port]>: Connect to an ETP server.

Results

Command line options to manipulate the results.

-sort <name>: Set the sort to the specified name.
For example:
-sort size
-sort "Date Modified"
-sort-ascending: Sort ascending.
-sort-descending: Sort descending.
-details: View results in the detail view.
-thumbnail-size <size>: Specify the size of thumbnails in pixels.
-thumbnails: Show results in thumbnail view.
-focus-bottom-result: Focus the bottom result.
-focus-last-run-result: Focus the last run result.
-focus-most-run-result: Focus the most run result.
-focus-results: Focus the result list.
-focus-top-result: Focus the top result.
-select <filename>: Focus and select the specified result.

General

General command line options.

-?
-h
-help: Show this help.
-admin: Run Everything as an administrator.
-client-svc: Everything client service entry point.
-config <filename>: The filename of the ini file.
-console
-debug: Show the debugging console.
-debug-log: Enables debug mode and logs debugging information to disk.
-exit
-quit: Exit an existing "Everything" instance.
-instance <name>: The name of the Everything instance.
-is-run-as: Everything was executed with "runas" and should not attempt to runas again.
-startup: Run Everything in the background.
-svc: Service entry point.
Optionally combine with -svc-port.
[TODO: Optionally combine with -svc-pipe-name.]
-svc-port <port>: Run the Everything service on the specified port.
-svc-pipe-name <name>: Host the pipe server with the specified name.
-svc-security-descriptor <sd>: Host the Everything Service pipe server with the specified security descriptor.
Requires Everything 1.4.1.994 or later.
-verbose
-noverbose: Display all or basic debug messages. combine with -debug.
-first-instance: Only run Everything if this is the first instance of Everything.
If Everything is already running this call will be ignored.
-no-first-instance: Only run Everything if Everything is already running.
If Everything is not running this call will be ignored.
-l
-local: Load the local database.

Database

Command line options to manipulate the Everything database.

-db <filename>: The filename of the database. Combine with -read-only.
-load-delay <milliseconds>: The delay in milliseconds before loading the database.
The database is loaded if required before this delay.
-nodb: Do not save to or load from the "Everything" database file.
-read-only: Do not update the database.
Prevents new database creation.
-reindex: Force database rebuild.
-update: Save the database to disk.
-rescan-all: Rescan all folder indexes.
-monitor-pause: Pause NTFS, ReFS and folder index monitors.
-monitor-resume: Resume NTFS, ReFS and folder index monitors.

Window

Command line options to manipulate the search window and results.

-fullscreen
-nofullscreen: Show the search window fullscreen or in a window.
-maximized
-nomaximized: Maximize or restore the search window.
-minimized
-nominimized: Minimize or restore the search window.
-newwindow
-nonewwindow: Create a new search window or show an existing window.
-ontop
-noontop: Enable or disable always ontop.
-close: Close the current search window.
-toggle-window: Shows or hides the current search window.

Multi File Renaming

Shows the multi file renamer dialog and does not start Everything.

-copyto [filename1] [filename2] [filename3] [...]: Show the Everything multi file renamer for a copy to operation.
-moveto [filename1] [filename2] [filename3] [...]: Show the Everything multi file renamer for a move to operation.
-rename [filename1] [filename2] [filename3] [...]: Show the Everything multi file renamer for a rename operation.

Notes

Dashes (-) inside switches can be omitted, for example, instead of using -no-new-window, use: -nonewwindow

Use double quotes to escape spaces and switches.

Use ^ to escape \, &, |, >, < and ^.

Use """ to escape a literal "

Examples

Search for ABC or 123:

Everything.exe -s "ABC|123"

Connect to an ETP server:

Everything.exe -connect "ComputerName" -drive-links

Create a filelist of mp3 and flac files in D:\Music

Everything.exe -create-file-list "music.efu" "D:\Music" -create-file-list-include-only-files "*.mp3;*.flac"