Raycast lands on Windows - first look (video, 7m)
In its latest video, Raycast unveils the first public beta version of Raycast for Windows. The video’s author welcomes viewers and emphasizes that he has been eager to share the new features found in this tool. His experiences highlight that Raycast is more than just a launcher—it can significantly enhance productivity while working on Windows. The video showcases a range of innovative features, many of which were requested by users. Some of the most intriguing elements include a revamped user interface, file finding with an advanced filtering system, and calculator functionalities that allow for complex calculations, as well as currency and timezone conversions.
Additionally, Raycast introduces clipboard history, enabling users to search through copied items, along with an integrated emoji and symbols picker. While some features like AI search are still on the way, many existing tools, such as the settings menu and access to extensions, make this program incredibly versatile. Users will also have access to an extension store that allows the use of applications like YouTube and Slack.
During the presentation, the author highlights the simplicity of the new settings window, making it easy to modify commands and extensions. This enables quick searches and customization to meet individual needs. Meanwhile, the QuickAI feature will be available for all users during the beta program, allowing them to ask questions and browse their chat history.
Raycast's future vision includes many features that will soon be implemented, including cloud sync that will integrate settings and AI cloud functionalities for pro subscribers. The user community can expect improvements to quick links and snippets' expansion soon. Creators have also announced calendar support and an increased number of extensions to enhance user experience.
Finally, the author explains how to gain access to the Raycast for Windows beta program. The rollout process is gradual, so those waiting for invites can expect them in the coming days. Viewers are encouraged to sign up for the waitlist and follow the channel for more updates. At the time of writing, this video has gained 78,265 views and 4,407 likes, indicating a significant interest in this new product.
Toggle timeline summary
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Introduction and excitement about the Windows Beta.
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Announcement of the public preview of Raycast for Windows.
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Overview of the video format and features to be discussed.
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Raycast as a launcher and its default hotkey.
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File searching capabilities and new filtering features.
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Introduction of the calculator feature in Raycast.
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Clipboard history functionality and its features.
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Snippets and quick links with a redesigned composer view.
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Access to popular third-party extensions.
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Introduction of a new settings window for user customization.
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QuickAI feature now available for all users during the beta.
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Summary of features available in the beta.
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Roadmap for upcoming features and improvements.
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Information about the gradual rollout of the beta program.
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Encouragement to sign up for the waitlist and subscribe for updates.
Transcription
Hello everyone! Actually, wait a second... Much better. You have asked for it, you kept asking, and today we're finally ready to show you something. So welcome to the first public preview of Raycast for Windows Beta. As you can see I've got myself a Windows machine here. I've been testing it out for the last couple of days and it's safe to say that it's the first time in years that I've been excited about using Windows. So here's how this video is going to work. I'm going to give you a walkthrough and dive into some of the coolest features that are going to be available from the start and it's a lot by the way. The team managed to pack a bunch of stuff into this. Then I'm going to quickly go over the roadmap so you can have a glimpse at what we're planning to implement next. And the last thing, I'll tell you all about how you can get access to the beta program and get your hands on Raycast for Windows starting today. So let's go! At its core, Raycast is a launcher. The default hotkey for it is Alt Space and you can search and switch to and from all of your apps which you can assign hotkeys to or aliases. I'll show you how that works in settings in a bit because that got a revamp and a brand new look. I'm sure you're gonna love it. You can also search through your files and folders through the search files commands which supports a rich filtering system in the search bar like prefixing a search with a dot to find specific file extensions or a forward slash to browse through specific folders. And of course the action panel is there under Ctrl K where you can manipulate your selection in different ways. You can also search for files directly from the root so if you launch Raycast with Alt Space and search for a file or a folder you can access it directly from there. And since we're back at the root search there's no better time than now to show you the calculator which is fully featured so you can make basic operations, currency and time zone conversions, date calculations and a lot more. Even earlier this week I found out about a feature in the Raycast calculator that I didn't even know it had. It's always surprising me and I work here. Raycast for Windows comes out of the box with clipboard history which keeps a log of everything you copied so you can search through them, filter them by pressing Ctrl P and there's also some really nice previews for things like when you copy a color. It looks like it came directly out of a Pantone fan deck. Love the attention to detail here. There's also snippets and quick links which come with a beautiful redesigned composer view and support for tagging which makes it really easy to browse through them. The emoji and symbols picker is also here with support for pinning and custom keywords. AI search isn't here yet but that's coming very soon. The extension store is also here. I was amazed when I heard that they ported that to Windows. This means that you have access to our most popular third-party extensions such as YouTube, Slack, Search GIFs and many many more. Now obviously all of the extensions in our store have been developed specifically for Raycast for Mac. That means that some of them rely on specific macOS features such as the menu bar or AppleScript which are not compatible with Windows. So for obvious reasons those are not yet available but gradually all of the ones that don't rely on Apple specific APIs will also be available in the store. Raycast for Windows has a brand new settings window. It's really easy to use and find your commands and extensions to tweak. You can always access it from root by pressing ctrl comma and last but not least QuickAI is also part of the package and we're also making it free for everybody during the beta program which means that even if you don't have a pro subscription if you have access to the beta which I'll talk about how you can get access in a bit you can tab from the root to ask a question to any of the models available in the pro plan and also ask follow-up questions and browse your history. This is the current state of the Raycast for Windows beta. There's a lot of features and there's certainly some I didn't have time to mention. I can't wait for you to get your hands on it and discover all of the ways that you will help you be more productive. Now let me quickly go over some of the features that didn't make the beta cut but are in the roadmap and will be here very soon. Now of course our pro subscribers rely on cloud sync to have all of their settings AI chats and notes synced across all of their devices as well as all of the Raycast AI features and advanced models and more. All of that is coming soon to Raycast for Windows. You can also expect improvements to quick links and snippets like manually selecting the app that you want to open a quick link with and snippet expansion. That's coming soon. There's also of course Raycast notes. So let's not start the whole when notes thing all over again please. Calendar integration via my schedule, a broader extension support, developer tooling etc. There's still a lot to cover but let's talk about how you can get your hands on it. The Raycast for Windows beta program is going to be a gradual rollout. That means that if you have been on the waitlist for a while expect an email soon if not today with an invite to download it and start using it. Everyone who gets an invite will also be given a few extra invites to share so make sure to ask around and see if a friend of yours can help you out. In the meantime make sure to sign up for the waitlist if you haven't already and subscribe to the channel for more updates. We can't wait to share this with all of you.