The video depicts Eilish and Finneas holding hands while driving in a Dodge Challenger through a city and into the ocean; it received positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised its visual theme and message.

Eilish and Finneas performed the track during a 50-minute livestream for Verizon Communications in April 2020, as well as at the 63rd Grammy Awards in March 2021.

[9] Eilish couldn't stop thinking about her nightmares, which made her feel "caught up" and "distracted" as she and O'Connell were trying to work her fears into a new track.

[1] In an interview with The New York Times, Eilish said she "was in a really bad place mentally" while O'Connell said he did not want to help her write a hopeless song about suicide because he and their parents were concerned about her well-being.

[16] The single's cover art, an abstract painting of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, was made by Jason Anderson.

[18] According to Jem Aswad from Variety, the song features a significant use of reverberation, a "gentle beatbox, and soft, hazy keyboard riffs".

[28][29] Pitchfork's Dani Blum stated the song "has layered vocals that swell and surround Eilish in the bridge" as she repeatedly asks; "If I knew it all then, would I do it again?

The song was praised by Insider's Callie Ahlgrim, who called it a "thoughtful dynamic" and the lyrics a "breathtaking portrait of their in-sync collaborative skills".

[31] Jon Caramanica from The New York Times said the keyboards on the recording are "urgent" and "elegiac", and described the chorus as "draining yet hopeful".

[32] Rolling Stone’s Brenna Ehrlich stated the song showed a "softer, sadder version of Eilish" and described the track as "a meditation on fame".

[35] Starr Bowenbank writing for Cosmopolitan magazine regarded it as a song that would "leave you sobbing in a puddle of your own tears".

[37] Julia Emmanuele of Bustle magazine viewed the song "makes it clear that Eilish's experiences with managing her mental health is constantly evolving, but it seems that the singer is determined to surround herself with people like Finneas, who help support her through it all.

"[27] Jasmine Gomez, writing for Seventeen, called "Everything I Wanted" a "haunting, yet beautiful tribute" from Eilish to Finneas.

"[20] Brent Furdyk, writing for Entertainment Tonight Canada, labeled the song "a touching tribute to [Eilish's and O'Connell's] kindship”[26] In a mixed review for Los Angeles Times, August Brown called the song a "misty, echoing loop that keeps her downcast voice front and center in the mix".

[53] Internationally, "Everything I Wanted" peaked at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100 and has received a quadruple platinum certification by Music Canada (MC).

[56] It has received a double platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), which denotes track-equivalent sales of 1,200,000 units.

[65][66][67] Eilish released the music video for "Everything I Wanted" on January 23, 2020,[68] and announced its premiere the same day on Instagram in a post captioned; "something is coming".

[69] The video was directed by Eilish,[69] who stated; "My brother and I wrote this song about each other and I wanted to create a visual that emphasizes that no matter what, we’ll be there for each other through everything.

[70][71] Eilish stated during an interview with BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac; "Pretty much that whole song is about me and Finneas' relationship as siblings.

[72] Eilish is driving a car with Finneas O'Connell as a front-seat passenger; they stare ahead blankly and their bodies are expressionless.

[73][74] Eilish sings about dreaming she had jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and was ignored by her loved ones and fans as depicted in the song's lyrics.

Rebecca Alter of Vulture called the video "very good" and commented it "looks like it was shot by the cinematographer who did 'The Long Night' on Game of Thrones".

Cooper told Billboard he does not perform many covers but he felt drawn to the song, and that he and his band had a great time recording it.

[89] On March 13, 2020, English indie rock band Gengahr performed a cover of the song for Triple J's Like a Version segment.