QuickFind v0.7.1

Lightning-fast file search for Windows, powered by NTFS MFT + USN Journal.

An open-source alternative to Voidtools Everything, built with Python and PyQt6 for extensibility and customization.

Features

Core Engine

• Instant indexing via NTFS Master File Table (MFT) direct read with parallel scanning
• FAT32/exFAT/ReFS support for external drives and Dev Drives via recursive os.scandir walk
• USN Journal V2/V3/V4 support - V3/V4 with 128-bit file IDs for ReFS compatibility
• Real-time updates via USN Change Journal monitoring (NTFS) and periodic rescan (FAT/exFAT/ReFS)
• Batch incremental DB writes - USN changes applied in single transactions for performance
• Non-admin fallback - gracefully degrades to os.scandir when UAC is declined
• Thread-safe USN change application with lock-protected flat list rebuild
• Cancel support during indexing with cooperative cancellation
• SQLite FTS5 full-text search cache with WAL mode and memory-mapped I/O
• DB corruption recovery with automatic integrity checks and rebuild
• Sub-second search across millions of files with compiled pattern matching
• Minimal footprint - lightweight in-memory index with __slots__ optimization

Search

• Instant-as-you-type results with debounced search
• Search history with autocomplete suggestions
• Result highlighting - match substrings painted in accent color
• Inline column filtering - per-column filter row below headers
• Regex support (regex:pattern)
• Wildcards (*.py, test?.log)
• Boolean logic - AND (spaces), OR (|), NOT (!term)
• Search modifiers: case:, path:, file:, folder:, wholeword:, ext:, size:, dm:, dc:, len:, attrib:, content:, parent:, dupe:
• Size filters: size:>1mb, size:100kb..5mb
• Date filters: dm:today, dm:>2024-01-01, dc:thisweek
• Attribute filters: attrib:hs (hidden + system)
• Content search: content:searchterm (reads file content, slower)
• Search syntax help panel accessible from menu

GUI

• Catppuccin Mocha dark theme - premium paid-software aesthetic
• Details view with sortable columns (Name, Path, Size, Date Modified, Date Created, Type, Attributes)
• Column visibility - right-click header to show/hide columns, persisted in settings
• Keyboard navigation - Enter=open, Delete=recycle, F2=rename, Ctrl+Enter=open folder
• Thumbnail view for visual browsing
• Preview pane for text files, images, and file info
• Filter bar with built-in filters (Audio, Video, Image, Document, Executable, Compressed, Folder) + custom filters
• Bookmarks - save/restore search + filter state, organized in folders
• Context menu - Open, Open Path, Copy Name/Path, Terminal Here (CMD/PowerShell/WT), Delete to Recycle Bin, Properties
• System tray with minimize-to-tray and close-to-tray
• Global hotkey (Ctrl+Shift+F) to show/activate from anywhere
• Startup performance metrics - entries/sec displayed in status bar
• Proper app icon (.ico) for window, taskbar, and tray
• Dark title bar via DwmSetWindowAttribute on Windows 10/11
• Regex validation with inline error highlighting
• Result count in tab titles for multi-tab awareness
• Index progress in tray tooltip shows live indexing status

Advanced

• HTTP server for remote web browser access with optional token-based authentication
• EFU file lists for indexing non-NTFS and network drives
• CLI tool (es.py) with full search syntax, CSV/JSON output, and DB cache for instant results
• Export/import settings - save and restore configuration as JSON
• Settings for indexing, search, UI, drives, columns, and server configuration
• PyInstaller build script for single-file or single-folder distribution
• Multiple instance support

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.10+
• Administrator privileges recommended (for NTFS MFT access; falls back to os.scandir without admin)

Quick Start

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/QuickFind.git
cd QuickFind

# Run (auto-installs PyQt6, attempts admin elevation, falls back gracefully)
python quickfind.py

CLI Usage

# Basic search (uses DB cache for instant results)
python cli/es.py "*.py"

# Force reindex (bypass cache)
python cli/es.py --reindex "*.py"

# Regex search for log files
python cli/es.py -r "error.*\.log$"

# Find large MP4 files, output as JSON
python cli/es.py --json "size:>100mb ext:mp4"

# Files only, sorted by date modified
python cli/es.py -f -s dm "report"

# Search specific drives
python cli/es.py --drives C,D "*.docx"

Build

# Build single-folder distribution
python build.py

# Build single-file exe
python build.py --onefile

# Clean build artifacts
python build.py --clean

Search Syntax

Architecture

QuickFind/
  quickfind.py          # Entry point (bootstrap + admin elevation + fallback)
  build.py              # PyInstaller packaging script
  core/
    ntfs.py             # NTFS MFT/USN via ctypes + ReFS/Dev Drive support
    index.py            # In-memory index + USN monitor + deferred path resolution
    cache.py            # SQLite FTS5 cache + integrity check + search history
    search.py           # Search engine with modifiers
    file_list.py        # EFU file list import/export
  gui/
    main_window.py      # Main window (menus, toolbar, layout, syntax help)
    results_view.py     # Table model + highlight delegate + column filters
    preview_pane.py     # Text/image/info preview
    filters.py          # Filter bar + custom filter editor
    bookmarks.py        # Bookmark manager + panel
    context_menu.py     # Right-click menu with shell integration
    tray.py             # System tray + global hotkey + app icon
    settings_dialog.py  # Settings dialog with tabs + export/import
    theme.py            # Catppuccin Mocha stylesheet
  server/
    http_server.py      # Remote web search server + token auth
  cli/
    es.py               # Command-line search tool + DB cache
  assets/
    quickfind.ico       # App icon (auto-generated on first run)

How It Works

1. MFT Scan (NTFS): Reads the NTFS Master File Table directly to enumerate all file/folder records in ~1-2 seconds per drive (parallel scanning across drives)
2. Directory Walk (FAT/exFAT/ReFS): Uses recursive os.scandir for non-NTFS drives (external USB, SD cards, Dev Drives)
3. Non-Admin Fallback: If UAC elevation is declined, falls back to os.scandir for all drives
4. Path Resolution: Builds parent-child FRN tree to resolve full paths on demand with deferred batch resolution
5. USN Journal (NTFS): Polls the NTFS Change Journal (V2/V3/V4) every second for creates/deletes/renames/modifications
6. Batch DB Writes: USN changes are collected and applied in single SQLite transactions for efficiency
7. Periodic Rescan (FAT/exFAT/ReFS): Re-walks non-NTFS drives every 60 seconds for change detection
8. Search: Parses query modifiers, compiles matchers (regex/wildcard/substring), and filters the in-memory index
9. DB Cache: SQLite FTS5 database persists the index for instant CLI searches and fast startup recovery

License

MIT License