7 Raycast Features That’ll Make You Want to Ditch Spotlight on Your Mac

Spotlight tin assistance you execute a batch connected your Mac, but it isn't perfect. Apple's combined hunt instrumentality and launcher lacks galore precocious features that alternatives, specified arsenic Raycast, offer.

These scope from controlling third-party apps to making usage of online services and adjacent AI tools. Here are 7 Raycast features that'll marque you privation to ditch Spotlight connected your Mac.

1 Clipboard History to View Everything You Copy

macOS doesn't natively enactment clipboard history. Hence, it tin lone store the astir caller point you transcript connected your Mac. This is simply a immense regulation if you copy-paste worldly often and requires you to usage third-party clipboard managers to entree your Mac's clipboard history.

However, with Raycast installed connected your Mac, you don't request specified an app. Raycast automatically records immoderate you transcript connected your Mac to the clipboard history, dating arsenic acold backmost arsenic 3 months connected the escaped version. You tin past entree your copied items anytime from the Raycast search.

To bash so, bring up the search, benignant clipboard history, and deed Return. Alternatively, you tin acceptable up a hotkey to entree Clipboard History quickly. In the hunt window, property the Command+, shortcut to bring up its preferences. Go to the "Extensions" tab and grow the "Clipboard History" action. Finally, click the "Record Hotkey" fastener adjacent to the "Clipboard History" enactment and delegate it a keyboard shortcut.

You'll present spot each the entries successful your clipboard history. Scroll done the database to find what you're looking for. Or benignant it successful the hunt tract astatine the top. To constrictive down the results, click the drop-down fastener successful the upper-right country and take a benignant that suits the benignant of point you're looking for.

Once you find the item, prime it and property the Command+Return shortcut to transcript it. Alternatively, property the Return key, and Raycast volition paste the point into the app successful focus.

Raycast lets you disable Clipboard History for peculiar apps connected your Mac to exclude delicate accusation specified arsenic passwords oregon idiosyncratic notes. Access the Clipboard History options successful Raycast settings and take the apps you privation to exclude.

2 Quickly Perform System Tasks

Another standout Raycast diagnostic is the quality to execute strategy tasks close from the Raycast search. So, alternatively than opening apps and navigating aggregate menus, you tin transportation retired these tasks with a fewer cardinal taps, which saves you some the clip and effort you'd different enactment into performing the aforesaid tasks manually.

A strategy task could beryllium thing from mounting the measurement to your desired percent oregon toggling strategy quality to ejecting disks, putting your Mac to sleep, oregon emptying the Trash, among others. Raycast supports aggregate strategy actions. You'll observe them arsenic you usage the Raycast hunt much and more. You tin ever look up an enactment to spot if Raycast supports it.

To find and execute a strategy enactment via Raycast, entree the hunt and picture the action. For example, accidental you privation to bare the Trash connected your Mac. Simply benignant "Empty Trash" and deed Return. When prompted, click the "Empty Trash" button.

You tin further simplify entree to strategy tasks you usage much often by assigning them aliases oregon hotkeys.

Raycast gives you instant entree to immoderate of the fashionable AI chatbots utilizing extensions. So, if you usage Gemini, ChatGPT, oregon Perplexity AI for your mundane tasks, you tin integrate them into the Raycast search. Doing truthful volition prevention you the request to unfastened their autochthonal apps oregon sojourn their websites successful a browser each clip you privation to usage these tools.

Integrating your favourite AI chatbot into Raycast is easy. Head to Raycast preferences utilizing the Command+, shortcut. Go to the Extensions tab and click the "+" fastener successful the upper-right country oregon property Command+N. Select "Install from Store" from the menu. Now, look for your favourite chatbot successful the hunt tract astatine the top. Double-click connected it to presumption much details and property the Return cardinal to instal the extension.

Once installed, summon the AI chatbot by typing its name, similar Perplexity, oregon utilizing the hotkey if you've acceptable 1 up. Then, benignant successful your query and deed Return.

Depending connected the chatbot you're using, it whitethorn instrumentality the effect successful the aforesaid model wrong the Raycast hunt oregon unfastened it successful a tab successful your Mac's default browser.

4 Quickly Locate Files and Perform Quick Operations connected Them

Raycast is exceptionally accelerated astatine helping you find files connected your Mac and rapidly execute actions connected them without opening circumstantial apps. It relies connected macOS' Spotlight indexing strategy but employs fuzzy hunt to springiness you much flexibility erstwhile looking up things successful the hunt and, successful turn, amended your chances of uncovering what you want. You tin set the sensitivity to power the fig of matching results Raycast returns.

Looking up files successful Raycast hunt is ace simple. Simply entree it, benignant "Search Files," and deed Return. You tin besides delegate a hotkey to entree it adjacent much quickly. Then, participate your hunt term, and you'll spot a clump of results with each the metadata successful the close sidebar.

Once you've recovered the record you're looking for, prime it and property the Command+K shortcut to uncover each the compatible actions you tin execute connected it. Press the corresponding keyboard shortcut adjacent to the enactment you privation to execute oregon prime it and deed Return.

Raycast volition present transportation retired the cognition connected the selected file.

5 Custom Hotkeys to Launch Apps successful No Time

Although you tin find and motorboat apps from the Raycast search—just similar files and settings—Raycast offers a much businesslike attack if you request to entree them adjacent much quickly. It involves mounting up a hotkey—a customized keyboard shortcut—for your favourite oregon most-used apps.

To bash this, entree Raycast search. Go to the "Extensions" tab and grow the "Applications" list. Click the "Record Hotkey" fastener adjacent to the app you privation to delegate a hotkey to and property the keyboard operation you privation to use. Avoid assigning shortcuts similar Command+A oregon Command+S to apps, arsenic these are often reserved for strategy actions and tin origin conflict.

With hotkeys assigned, launching apps with them is easy. Simply property the hotkey anyplace connected your Mac—irrespective of the abstraction oregon the app you're in—and Raycast volition unfastened the corresponding app.

6 Quickly Access Frequently-Used Websites oregon Folders

Quicklinks is simply a nifty diagnostic that allows you to make shortcuts for thing you request to entree rapidly connected your Mac. Want to hunt for songs connected Spotify oregon find images connected Unsplash? With Quicklinks, you tin bash it straight from the Raycast hunt without opening immoderate circumstantial app.

Raycast comes bundled with a fewer Quicklinks. But you'll privation to make your ain to get the astir retired of the feature. To bash so, spell to Raycast settings and caput into the "Extensions" tab. Click "Quicklinks" and deed the "Find successful Library" fastener connected the close sidebar.

Now, accidental you privation a Quicklink to hunt Unsplash. Type "Unsplash" successful the hunt tract and click connected the matching result. Click the drop-down adjacent to "Open With" and prime your preferred browser. Raycast volition usage this browser to look up and amusement results from Unsplash. Set up a hotkey for the quicklink to alteration speedy access.

To usage this Quicklink, entree Raycast search, benignant "Un" oregon property the hotkey, and it should bring up the Quicklink. Hit the Tab cardinal and commencement typing your query. Press Return erstwhile you're done, and Raycast volition instrumentality you to the Unsplash website successful your specified browser with each the matching results for your query.

Alternatively, if Raycast doesn't person a Quicklink, you tin make 1 yourself. Let's acceptable 1 up that lets you hunt for songs connected the Spotify app from the Raycast search. Access Quicklinks successful the Raycast preferences, prime it, and click the "Create New Quicklink" fastener connected the right. Type a sanction for the Quicklink successful the "Name" field. Let's telephone it "Search Spotify."

Next, benignant the pursuing successful the Link field: "https://open.spotify.com/search/{query}." Here {query} is simply a dynamic placeholder, meaning Raycast volition regenerate it with immoderate hunt word you benignant erstwhile moving the Quicklink. Click the drop-down adjacent to "Open With" and prime "Spotify."

Now, whenever you privation to look up an artist, song, oregon playlist, simply bring up the Raycast hunt and benignant its name. The Quicklink volition look it up and amusement you the results successful the Spotify app connected your Mac.

7 Extensions Extend Raycast's Functionality Even Further

While Raycast packs galore precocious capabilities by default, it lets you adhd caller functionalities utilizing extensions. Extensions are fundamentally programs that adhd caller functionality oregon integrate third-party services into Raycast truthful you tin rapidly entree them via the Raycast search.

Raycast's hold store is location to a big of extensions, spanning assorted categories from AI extensions and developer tools to applications and web tools, among others. For example, you tin usage the Google Translate hold to rapidly construe text, ChatGPT to straight entree the assistant, Video Downloader to download videos from assorted websites, oregon Shell to tally ammunition commands straight from the search.

Finding and installing a Raycast hold is easy. Bring up Raycast hunt and look up "Extensions." In the "Extensions" tab, click the "+" fastener successful the upper-right country oregon property Command+N and prime "Install from Store." Browse the database oregon hunt for an extension. Double-click it to presumption each its details and deed Return to statesman the installation.

Once installed, you'll find the hold successful the "Extensions" tab successful Raycast settings. Assign the hold a hotkey to alteration speedy access. You tin present usage this hotkey anyplace connected your Mac to bring up and usage the extension.

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Those were immoderate aspects wherever Raycast outshines macOS' built-in Spotlight search. But it doesn't extremity there. Raycast packs plentifulness of different features that tin importantly heighten productivity connected your Mac. These see a hyper key, built-in window absorption tools, floating notes, and substance snippets and expansion, to sanction a few. So, instal Raycast if you haven't already, and research the caller possibilities it unlocks connected your Mac.