Summary
- Raycast improves macOS efficiency by allowing users to customize commands with hotkeys and aliases.
- The initial setup of Raycast involves a learning curve with tutorials and customization of features, requiring some effort.
- Raycast offers a Pro version with added features like unlimited clipboard history, translator, and extensions for better productivity.
Trying to live life in the most efficient way possible takes a lot of planning and proper execution. Maximizing your personal efficiency can get much of the job done, but what you may not think about is maximizing your computer’s efficiency, too.
Your desktop or laptop runs dozens of applications at any given time, and there are intricate processes baked into its system that are always trying to maximize that efficiency. However, sometimes it doesn’t do as well as it could in that department, which is where Raycast comes in. Raycast is an app designed to specifically change or alter inefficient processes developers recognized in macOS. The complex program aims to help you maneuver around your Mac in a faster way than you’ve done before.
Instead of relying on a mouse, clicking around, or endlessly scrolling to find what you need, Raycast takes things a step further and makes the process more efficient. With commands, hotkeys, and aliases, I’ve been testing Raycast and after I got used to its functions, I truly think it’s a Mac maximizer. Here’s more of what I thought about this productivity tool.
Raycast
Raycast is a productivity app that lets you create commands for around your computer. You can organize the layout of your screens and tell your computer what to do with hotkeys and aliases.
Related
I use these 5 Apple Safari extensions to improve my productivity
These excellent Apple Safari extensions help boost my macOS productivity into the stratosphere.
Getting initiated takes some time
This is a big change for normal Mac users
It takes some setup, but Raycast walks you through everything so you know what to expect. You’ll need to grant it permission to control your computer, which might seem intrusive, but it’s essential for the best experience. The step-by-step startup menu introduces key features like emoji keyboards and calendar syncing, which makes it easy to customize from the start. The installation was simple, but the initial walkthrough required a bit more effort.
I truly think it’s a Mac maximizer.
Raycast asks you to set up a few things to show how the program works and guides you through a tutorial that highlights key features. But as you go through it, you’re also configuring those features on your computer — whether you want to or not. For example, to progress through the walkthrough, you’ll need to set up certain hotkeys or command aliases with specific key combinations.
I’d never relied on the Option key much before, but Raycast makes heavy use of it — which is great because it’s an underutilized key. Option + Space is the main shortcut to launch Raycast, and while it’s a unique combo, you can always go back and change it later if it doesn’t work for your particular workflow.
The Welcome to Raycast walkthrough covers more than just shortcuts, too. It walks you through the calculator, key combos, and customizing movements straight from your keyboard to make your screen feel more personalized.
Related
I’ve never been more productive thanks to these Google Calendar hacks
Google Calendar is the productivity tool of choice for hundreds of millions of people. Optimize it with these hacks.
Set up screen movement for more efficiency
This is something I’d never tried before
One of my favorite features from the walkthrough was using commands to move screens. I set commands to not only minimize a window but also position it strategically on my screen. Too often, I rely on swiping four fingers on the trackpad to view all my open windows and programs. With simple commands, you can move them around without even needing the mouse or trackpad.
I’d never relied on the Option key much before, but Raycast makes heavy use of it — which is great because it’s an underutilized key.
Setting up the Option + V command to both minimize a window and move it to the bottom right corner of the screen was very helpful. Setting up another command to center a window and another to move a window to the top left corner helped me see three different windows at once and focus on one more centrally. I found this helpful when I was reading something in a browser and making notes on it in Microsoft Word.
Related
5 ways I made Slack my productivity MVP
The team communications platform is more customizable than you think.
Search tabs or for files more easily
This saves a bunch of time
If you’re like me, you probably have multiple browser windows open with an infinite number of tabs in each. I’m not always great at grouping them — I honestly tend to forget — so I usually end up with 15 to 20 tiny tabs crammed at the top of my browser. Raycast makes it easy to search through tabs without dragging your cursor across them all. Syncing Raycast with my Google Chrome was a breeze, and using it to search for an application in a root search was just as simple.
Once you’ve searched for the application, you can ask it to Search Tabs. Just type in a word related to the tab you’re looking for, and it’ll pop up and take you exactly where you need to go. The same type of search works for finding files stored on your computer. As part of the walkthrough, you’re told to set your search files button to F. If you’re in Raycast, hitting F and then Enter pulls up all your files, so you can search through them without opening the Finder window itself.
Related
Taming the tab jungle: how I keep my Google Chrome organized
Your life may be chaotic but your browser doesn’t have to be.
Pro version offers more across the board
There are so many programs to incorporate this with
Raycast is free for anyone who wants to use it, but there’s also a Pro version that costs $8 a month with added features. One of the best free features is clipboard history, which lets you choose what to paste from multiple copied items. However, the free version only saves a limited number of copied items, while the Pro version has unlimited clipboard history as well as access to numerous AI models such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT, groq Llama and more.
A translator is another perk in the Pro version, which lets you translate into multiple languages as you’re working. One of the free options is extensions, which sync Raycast with many different programs so you can use it alongside them. With thousands of extensions covering all kinds of applications — even the option to create your own — there are plenty of workflows to play around with. But if you want to manage and organize them more than just a standard list, you need to have a Pro version.
Related
This clever app unexpectedly became my note-taking default
Craft is an intuitive note-taking app that’s quickly become my favorite.
Raycast Notes helps you take notes faster
Get rid of sticky notes or even notepads
Want a running list of things to remember? Raycast Notes is another top-notch feature. You can set a command to it and have it pop up whenever you need it. It’s a small window that can keep your running list of notes and comes with instructions that tell you the best way to use it. But you can write over those notes as well, making it an instruction guide you can actually update and customize.
I find this incredibly helpful since I’m always grabbing a pen and paper during work meetings to jot down notes. Setting a command to have this pop up during a meeting made it so easy to capture my thoughts and quickly reference them later. It’s just one of many Raycast features I’ve found useful, and I’m excited to keep testing the tool out.
Raycast
Raycast is a productivity app that lets you create commands for around your computer. You can organize the layout of your screens and tell your computer what to do with hotkeys and aliases.
