Everything Columns Not Saving: How to Fix It

If Everything columns are not saving after you resize, reorder, add, or remove them, the problem is usually not the search index itself. Column persistence depends mainly on whether Everything can write its settings, where those settings are stored, which view or configuration is active, and whether the program closes normally after the change. Portable installations, cloud-synced folders, multiple Windows accounts, startup commands, and simultaneous Everything processes can also cause a saved layout to be replaced.

This guide focuses specifically on result-list columns in voidtools Everything for Windows. It starts with a small test that separates a settings problem from an indexing or search problem. Work through the relevant checks in order, and stop as soon as the test layout survives a restart. Changing unrelated index, service, or network settings after the symptom is fixed can introduce new problems.

1. Confirm the Symptom With a Small Safe Test

Before changing permissions or rebuilding anything, verify exactly what is being reset. A missing Name, Path, Size, Date Modified, or other result-list column is a layout problem. Missing files, stale results, or an empty result list point toward indexing, filtering, exclusions, or connectivity instead.

1.1 Test one obvious column change

1. Open Everything in the same way you normally start it.
2. Clear the search box and select the filter you normally use.
3. Add a standard column, such as Size or Date Modified, if it is not already visible.
4. Move that column to a noticeably different position.
5. Make it wide enough that a reset will be easy to recognize.
6. Close Everything normally from its menu or notification-area icon.
7. Wait a few seconds, reopen it the same way, and inspect the result list.

Success means the added column, order, and width return exactly as configured. If they do, stop changing settings. The original reset may have resulted from a forced shutdown, a different shortcut, a different view, or another Everything instance overwriting the configuration.

1.2 Separate column persistence from search failures

Run a simple filename search for a file you know exists on a locally indexed NTFS volume. If the file appears but the columns reset, concentrate on configuration storage. If the columns remain but files are missing, investigate the index, active filter, exclusions, folder indexing, or server connection instead.

Everything is not Windows Search. Everything maintains its own filename index and, for supported local NTFS volumes, can use NTFS metadata and update information. Changing Windows Search indexing options generally will not repair an Everything column layout. Likewise, rebuilding an Everything index is not a normal fix for widths or column order.

2. Check the Everything Settings Directly Related to Column Persistence

2.1 Verify the settings storage mode

Open Everything Options and locate the setting labeled Store settings and data in %APPDATA%\Everything, or the equivalent storage option available in your installation. When enabled, Everything normally keeps writable per-user data under the current Windows account's application data directory. This is usually the safer choice for an installed copy in a protected location such as Program Files.

When the option is disabled in a portable setup, Everything may use an INI file associated with the executable directory. The exact active path depends on how Everything was launched and configured, so do not assume that the INI beside one copy of Everything.exe is necessarily the file being used by another shortcut.

After choosing the intended storage mode, make the test column change, close Everything normally, and reopen it. Success means the layout survives and the active settings file shows a recent modification time. Once this works, leave the storage location unchanged.

2.2 Inspect the portable INI location

Portable-app users should find the folder containing the exact Everything.exe started by their shortcut or launcher. Look for Everything.ini or configuration files used by the launcher. Confirm that the current Windows account can create and modify files in that directory.

A portable copy stored under Program Files, on read-only media, inside a locked archive, or in a folder controlled by another account may run normally while failing to retain changes. Move the portable installation to a user-writable local folder, or enable AppData storage if that fits your deployment. Do not grant broad write access to an entire protected system directory merely to save one application's settings.

Success is indicated by an updated configuration-file timestamp after a clean exit and a retained layout after relaunch. If the timestamp never changes, permissions, process ownership, or the selected settings path remains suspect.

2.3 Account for view-specific layouts

Do not test one layout in one context and reopen another. Depending on the Everything version, interface mode, active filter, bookmark, window, or saved view configuration, column arrangements can be associated with a particular view or restored by another feature. A shortcut or command-line option may also open Everything in a different state from the one you edited.

Repeat the test with the same filter, same window type, same bookmark state, and same startup method. If only one filter or saved view resets the columns, inspect that view or bookmark rather than changing global index settings. If a bookmark or startup configuration restores a particular layout, update that configuration intentionally or launch without it for comparison.

Success means the layout is stable whenever the same view is reopened. If other views intentionally use different columns, no further repair is needed.

2.4 Make a clean exit after changing columns

Everything may write some settings when it exits. Ending the process in Task Manager, shutting Windows down immediately, terminating a portable launcher, or losing power can prevent the newest layout from being committed. Multiple running instances can create a related problem: the last instance to exit may write its older settings over the newer layout.

After arranging the columns, close all Everything windows normally. Check Task Manager to make sure no unexpected interactive Everything process remains, then reopen the application. The Everything service, if installed, is separate from the interactive result-list window and does not itself prove that an extra user-interface instance is open.

3. Check Windows Permissions and Startup Context

3.1 Test write access without weakening security

Use File Explorer to inspect the active Everything settings directory. Confirm that your account can create a harmless temporary text file there, rename it, and delete it. This provides a direct permissions test without disabling User Account Control or changing system-wide security.

If the test fails, choose a per-user writable location, correct ownership or permissions only on the application's intended data folder, or ask an administrator to fix the deployment. Avoid running Everything as administrator merely to make column settings persist. Elevation can cause the program to use a different account context or create files that a normal session cannot later modify.

Success means an ordinary, non-elevated launch can update the settings file and preserve the column test. Continue using that same account and privilege level.

3.2 Compare startup shortcuts and account context

A task, login script, portable-app launcher, Start menu shortcut, and manually opened executable may point to different copies or pass different command-line options. Right-click the shortcut you normally use and inspect its target and working directory. Compare that path with the executable shown in Task Manager.

Also check whether Everything starts once for the user and again through another startup mechanism. Remove only the duplicate startup entry after confirming which one you need. Sysadmins should verify whether a logon script restores a standard INI file on every sign-in. In managed environments, a reset may be intentional policy behavior rather than an application defect.

3.3 Rule out cloud synchronization conflicts

A portable Everything folder inside OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or another synchronization system can experience conflict resolution, delayed uploads, or restoration of an older INI file. This is particularly likely when the same portable configuration is opened on two computers at once.

Close Everything on every device that shares the folder. Pause synchronization temporarily, without disabling security software, make the test layout change, close Everything normally, and verify that the layout survives a local restart. Then resume synchronization and check for conflict copies.

If the local test succeeds but the setting changes after synchronization resumes, keep machine-specific settings outside the synced folder or configure your portable launcher to separate them. Do not use one writable live INI concurrently across several computers.

3.4 Understand drives, shares, and file systems

Mapped drives, NAS shares, and non-NTFS file systems are relevant when search results are missing, but they rarely explain why local result-list widths reset. Everything may index network content through folder indexing or obtain results through an Everything server configuration, depending on how the system is deployed. Those sources affect which rows appear, not normally whether a column is 150 or 250 pixels wide.

If a portable INI itself is stored on a network share, however, share permissions, offline files, disconnections, or simultaneous writers can prevent reliable saving. Test the same executable and configuration from a writable local folder. Success there isolates the problem to the remote settings location rather than the search index.

4. Use Diagnostics Without Rebuilding Prematurely

4.1 Read the status bar and Options pages

The status bar helps distinguish a layout problem from a result problem by showing result counts and indexing activity. Review the relevant Options pages for the active indexes, filters, exclusions, folder indexes, and service configuration only if results are missing or stale. For a pure column-reset symptom, prioritize the settings location and write behavior.

Check whether the intended volumes or folders are included and whether an exclusion or result-omission rule hides expected files. Clear the search and select an inclusive filter for testing. If results return but the layout still resets, you have confirmed two separate issues and should troubleshoot them independently.

4.2 Use targeted search syntax tests

When Everything search is not working as expected, test a known exact filename and then a simple extension query. Avoid complex regular expressions, macros, bookmarks, or multiple filters during diagnosis. A simple local-file test establishes whether Everything has indexed the item and whether a filter is hiding it.

If the known file is found, do not use Force Rebuild merely because columns are not saving. Rebuilding changes the filename database, not the normal mechanism that stores column widths and order.

4.3 Reserve Force Rebuild for genuine index problems

Force Rebuild can be useful when Everything's index is demonstrably stale, a configured local volume is not updating, or diagnostics indicate an indexing problem. It is not the first-line Everything columns not saving fix. Before rebuilding, confirm the volume or folder is included, check exclusions, and allow any active indexing operation to finish.

If results are missing from a folder index, verify that the folder remains reachable under the same account and path. For a mapped drive, remember that drive letters can differ between elevated and standard sessions. A UNC path may provide a more consistent administrative deployment, provided permissions are correctly configured.

4.4 Review the service, server, firewall, and security context only when relevant

The Everything service can help the desktop application access local NTFS indexing information without requiring the interface to remain elevated. A stopped service can affect indexing behavior in some configurations, but it does not usually control result-list column persistence. Restarting or reinstalling services should not be your first response to a layout reset.

If the client obtains results from another Everything instance or server, verify that the server is reachable and that the expected connection settings are in use. Firewall or antivirus controls may affect connectivity or file access, but do not disable them permanently. Add a narrowly scoped rule or approved exception only after logs identify a blocked, legitimate component. Never expose a file-search service directly to the public internet without appropriate access controls, network segmentation, and vendor-supported security measures.

4.5 Use debug logging or configuration comparison

If the active settings path remains unclear, use Everything's documented debugging facilities or inspect process activity with an appropriate Windows administration tool. Look for attempts to read or write Everything.ini and note access-denied, path-not-found, or sharing-violation results.

You can also make a backup copy of the INI, change one column width, exit normally, and compare the before-and-after files. Do not manually edit unfamiliar values while Everything is running. The goal is to confirm whether a settings write occurs, not to guess undocumented configuration keys.

The Index Journal is useful for understanding index changes in supported configurations, but it is not normally a column-layout diagnostic. Use it when the Everything index is not updating, not when search results are correct and only the header layout resets.

5. Run a Clean Temporary Test Before Changing More Settings

A temporary clean profile can reveal whether the existing configuration is damaged or repeatedly overridden. First, close Everything normally and back up the current INI or AppData settings folder. Do not delete the database or permanent configuration at this stage.

1. Create a new local folder under your user profile where you have full write access.
2. Place a trusted portable copy of Everything there, following voidtools documentation and your organization's software policy.
3. Make sure it does not reuse the suspect INI, launcher configuration, bookmark, or startup command.
4. Launch it as your normal Windows user.
5. Change one result-list column, close normally, and reopen from the same executable.

If the clean copy saves the layout, Windows can persist Everything settings and the cause lies in the original profile, storage path, launcher, sync process, or competing instance. Restore settings selectively rather than copying every old file back at once.

If the clean copy also fails, recheck folder permissions, security logs, controlled-folder protections, account context, and shutdown behavior. Success is a stable layout across two or more normal restarts. Once achieved, stop experimenting and document the executable path and settings location that worked.

6. Quick Fix Checklist

• Change one obvious column width and test after a normal exit.
• Confirm search results are correct before investigating the index.
• Use a writable AppData settings location for an installed copy.
• Verify the active portable INI is beside the executable you actually launch.
• Check that the settings file timestamp changes after exit.
• Test the same filter, bookmark, view, window, and startup shortcut.
• Close duplicate Everything interface processes before saving the layout.
• Use the same Windows account and elevation level each time.
• Move live settings out of a conflicted cloud-sync or network folder.
• Inspect command-line options and startup tasks for alternate configurations.
• Do not rebuild the index solely to repair column persistence.
• Use a clean writable portable profile before deleting existing data.

7. Frequently Asked Questions

7.1 Why do Everything column widths reset after every restart?

The most common explanations are that Everything cannot write its active settings file, a different INI or AppData profile is loaded at startup, the application is being terminated rather than closed normally, or another instance writes an older layout when it exits. Start by checking the active settings location and its modification time.

7.2 Should I rebuild the Everything index to restore columns?

No, not when filenames appear correctly and only the result-list layout resets. The index determines which files and folders can appear in results. Column order, visibility, and widths are interface settings. Use Force Rebuild only for a confirmed stale or damaged index after safer index checks.

7.3 Where does portable Everything save its column settings?

A portable configuration commonly relies on an Everything.ini associated with the portable application directory, unless it is configured to store settings and data under %APPDATA%\Everything or a launcher redirects its data. Confirm the exact executable and active settings path instead of assuming which INI is in use.

7.4 Can different filters or views have different columns?

They can appear to, especially when bookmarks, view settings, window states, command-line options, or version-specific interface behavior restore a particular configuration. Test persistence using the same filter, view, bookmark state, and startup method. If only one context resets, troubleshoot that context rather than the global index.

7.5 Can OneDrive or another sync service cause the reset?

Yes. If the portable INI is synchronized, an older remote copy or a conflict resolution operation can replace the newly saved layout. Test with synchronization paused and settings stored locally. If that works, keep active machine-specific settings outside the shared folder.

7.6 Why are results missing even though the columns now save?

That is a separate Everything troubleshooting issue. Check the active filter, search syntax, exclusions, omitted results, indexed volumes, folder indexes, mapped-drive availability, server connection, service state, and account permissions. Use the status bar and a known filename test to narrow the cause before rebuilding anything.