Developer(s) | Raycast Technologies Ltd |
---|---|
Initial release | 2020 |
Stable release | v1.83 / 18 September 2024 [1] |
Operating system | macOS |
Type | Application launcher (utility software) |
License | Proprietary |
Website | raycast |
Raycast is an application launcher and productivity software developed for macOS by Raycast Technologies Ltd. It offers fast access to applications, dictionaries, files, text snippets, clipboard, and more. [2] Raycast is an alternative to the macOS's built-in Spotlight function, with a richer interface and the option to install extensions, providing additional ways to display varied content. [3]
Activated with a keyboard shortcut, ⌥ Option+Space by default but can be changed, Raycast displays a window at the center of the screen, awaiting the user's input and displaying a list of suggested apps. [4]
Using an incremental search as the user types, Raycast predicts the action the user intends to perform and displays the corresponding result. [5] The application outputs the data in different formats such as lists and grids with a single or two-pane layout, supporting various data types like text with Markdown, media, and additional input fields. Each result might have more than one action available. [6]
Raycast comes with many built-in features that can have a shortcut or an alias assigned, most notably:
While Raycast itself is a closed-source application, it includes a built-in store that offers open-source extensions to extend its functionality. [10] The API is open for developers and simple scripts could be written without extensive programming knowledge.
Some noteworthy extensions include managing GitHub repositories, controlling Spotify, [11] language translation through Google Translate, accessing browser bookmarks, connecting to Jira, and more. [12] [13]
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