Raycast (software)

Last updated

Raycast
Developer(s) Raycast Technologies Ltd
Initial release2020
Stable release
v1.100 / 11 June 2025;14 days ago (2025-06-11) [1]
Operating system macOS, Windows 10, Windows 11
Type Application launcher (utility software)
License Proprietary
Website raycast.com

Raycast is an application launcher and productivity software developed for macOS and 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]

Contents

As of June 2025, Raycast entered the Public Beta phase for the Windows port. [4]

Features

Interface

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. [5]

Raycast uses incremental search as the user types to predict the action the user intends to perform and display the corresponding result. [6] 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. [7]

Built-in functions

Raycast comes with many built-in features that can have a shortcut or an alias assigned, most notably:

Extensibility

While Raycast itself is a closed-source application, it includes a built-in store that offers open-source extensions to extend its functionality. [11] 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, [12] language translation through Google Translate, accessing browser bookmarks, connecting to Jira, and more. [13] [14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Raycast Changelog". Raycast Technologies. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Collins, Barry. "Raycast: The Free App That Every Mac Owner Should Install Now". Forbes. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Pot, Justin. "Raycast Is the Launcher App Apple Wishes It Made". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Raycast (25 June 2025). First Look at Raycast for Windows . Retrieved 25 June 2025– via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Clark, Mitchell (24 June 2022). "How to use Raycast and how it compares to Spotlight and Alfred". The Verge. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Birchler, Matt (10 November 2022). "Raycast for Mac. The Next-generation Alfred?". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Ashwin (20 July 2022). "Raycast for macOS gets a new UI, Action Bar and Compact Mode – gHacks Tech News". gHacks Technology News. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Pathak, Khamosh (6 July 2021). "How to Disable Spotlight Search on Mac (and Replace It With Something Better)". Lifehacker. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Lawrence, Lizzy. "Replace Apple's Spotlight: Productivity tool Raycast uses hotkeys – Protocol". www.protocol.com. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Roth, Emma (11 May 2023). "Raycast's new Pro subscription adds AI and syncing features". The Verge. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Malik, Aisha (30 November 2021). "Developer productivity tools startup Raycast raises $15M from Accel and Coatue". TechCrunch. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Newman, Jared (14 March 2022). "This new breed of unified search apps does what Google doesn't". Fast Company .
  13. ↑ Pot, Justin (19 April 2024). "The Best Raycast Extensions for Practically Anything". Lifehacker. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Chavanu, Bakari (18 December 2023). "My Favorite Raycast Extensions". Mac Automation Tips. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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