Raycast this is one of the best things to happen to Windows. It brings one of my favorite Mac applications to Microsoft's operating system. In fact, I enjoyed using Raycast for Windows so much that I can't imagine going back to life without Raycast. This app is free to download and use, but there is an optional paid subscription available for those who require certain additional features.
What is Raycast?
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At its core, Raycast is an application that allows you to search for applications and files stored on your computer. It remains hidden until you press its keyboard shortcut (Alternate space on Windows). Once you do this, Raycast will appear on your desktop as a floating search bar. You can type anything you want into the search bar and Raycast will scan your computer to find it. I mainly use it as an app launcher because I have too many apps on my Mac (and PC). Raycast helps me quickly find the application I need and open it.
However, this is just the surface of Raycast. You can use Raycast to search files on your computer, retrieve items copied to the clipboard, send queries to ChatGPT (or other artificial intelligence tools), convert currencies and units of measurement, and much more. All of these features are available in the same simple floating search bar.
Setting up keyboard shortcuts in Raycast
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Raycast is for people who love keyboard shortcuts. You can totally use it without them, but you'll have a lot more fun if you customize a few shortcuts of your own. For example, if you open Raycast and click Tabit switches to AI mode and you can directly send your questions and requests to ChatGPT from Raycast.
Whenever you search for something in Raycast, you'll probably see a button called Recording hotkey next to the results. This is your hint to set up a keyboard shortcut for this action and it will allow you to get to it faster. You can also go to Raycast Settings to find frequently used actions and write down your preferred keyboard shortcuts for all of them.
Please note that the Raycast app for Windows is still in beta and during this trial period you can use these AI features for free. However, expect this to change once it comes out of beta. If you want to continue using these features, the Pro tier costs $8 per month for most AI models, but some advanced AI models are only available at the $16 per month subscription tier.
Why do I use Raycast on Windows
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I use Raycast for more than just running applications on Windows. Since I live outside the US, converting between units and currencies is a big part of my workday. The Raycast workflow is quite suitable for this task. You can simply enter “$499” or any other number after the dollar sign and Raycast will automatically convert it to your local currency. You can also enter something like “499 Euros to US Dollars” and the Euros will be converted to US Dollars. I really like the fact that you don't even have to press a button Enter/Return key to see the converted currency. The moment you enter the currency number, the result is displayed without any additional prompts.
You can also try other unit conversions using Raycast, such as: “100 kg to pounds”, “800 ml to fl oz”, “44 square meters to square feet”, etc. This helps me a lot when I order things from international websites that don't always list sizes, weights or prices in the units of measurement I'm used to.
What are your thoughts so far?
Other than that, I like to use Raycast to store and view my clipboard history. You can search for “Clipboard” in Raycast to access the items you've copied, and the app even categorizes those items for you. You can search only the links, images, files, or email addresses you've copied, making it easy to quickly find specific items in your clipboard history.
Raycast also supports many other features such as managing windows, emptying the recycle bin, restarting the computer, locking the computer, bookmarking links and opening them in certain browsers, and text snippets, which allow you to quickly create or copy snippets of text or code. You can open Raycast and click Ctrl-, (comma) to open its settings and explore all its functions.
Limitations of Raycast for Windows
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Raycast only recently launched on Windows, which means the macOS version is still missing a few things. These include AI Chat (more advanced than the currently available AI Quick Search), focus timers, built-in notes function, and support for more extensions. Many of its extensions were originally created only for macOS, so it will take some time to bring them to Windows. The feature I miss the most is the ability to sync your snippets, notes, chats, and other data across devices. This feature hasn't arrived in the Windows app yet, and I hope the developers change that soon.
