Software:Raycast
 Raycast App Icon | |
| Developer(s) | Raycast Technologies Ltd |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2020 |
| Stable release | v1.66.0
/ 24 January 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 providing additional ways to display varied content.[3]
Features
Interface
Activated with a keyboard shortcut, Alt + 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]
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.[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.[citation needed]
See also
- Comparison of application launchers
References
- ↑ "Raycast Changelog". Raycast Technologies. https://www.raycast.com/changelog. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ↑ Collins, Barry. "Raycast: The Free App That Every Mac Owner Should Install Now" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2022/12/03/raycast-the-free-app-that-every-mac-owner-should-install-now/.
- ↑ Pot, Justin. "Raycast Is the Launcher App Apple Wishes It Made" (in en-US). Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. https://www.wired.com/story/raycast-app-launcher-productivity-tool/.
- ↑ Clark, Mitchell (2022-06-24). "How to use Raycast and how it compares to Spotlight and Alfred" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/23170431/raycast-how-to-macos-search-extensions-alfred-spotlight.
- ↑ Birchler, Matt (2022-11-10). "Raycast for Mac. The Next-generation Alfred?" (in en). https://thesweetsetup.com/raycast-for-mac-the-next-generation-alfred/.
- ↑ Ashwin (2022-07-20). "Raycast for macOS gets a new UI, Action Bar and Compact Mode - gHacks Tech News" (in en-US). https://www.ghacks.net/2022/07/20/raycast-for-macos-gets-a-new-ui-action-bar-and-compact-mode/.
- ↑ Pathak, Khamosh (2021-07-06). "How to Disable Spotlight Search on Mac (and Replace It With Something Better)" (in en). https://lifehacker.com/how-to-disable-spotlight-search-on-mac-and-replace-it-1847227585.
- ↑ Lawrence, Lizzy. "Replace Apple’s Spotlight: Productivity tool Raycast uses hotkeys - Protocol" (in en). https://www.protocol.com/workplace/raycast-productivity-hotkey-startup.
- ↑ Roth, Emma (2023-05-11). "Raycast’s new Pro subscription adds AI and syncing features" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/11/23719737/raycast-pro-subscription-ai-syncing-clipboard-features-mac.
- ↑ Malik, Aisha (2021-11-30). "Developer productivity tools startup Raycast raises $15M from Accel and Coatue" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/30/developer-productivity-tools-startup-raycast-raises-15m-from-accel-and-coatue/.
- ↑ Newman, Jared (2022-03-14). "This new breed of unified search apps does what Google doesn’t". Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90730932/best-unified-search-apps.
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