Life before I tried Raycast

April 8, 2026

  • The time I started using windows, I did not use any app launcher to replace default way of doing things. I always heard how people increased their workflows without leaving a particular window. What I didn’t know it was a game changer.

    • When it came to opening apps I struggled (e.g., I would have to search in the search bar and click open).
    • Resizing the window of the app and deciding, moving it to the left or right.

I never really thought that we had apps to boost productivity like this, I think I was scared of the learning process that comes with commands, aliases and so on. The first time I saw Raycast i really liked the UI and just thought to myself since I do not use a Mac it is fine to be left out. When i saw that it was coming to windows I got curious and surprisingly I did it!

Why I chose it

Huge ecosystem and the community is ready to help anyone facing any kind of challenge. User feedback is out of this world, their eagerness to make everyone love the keyboard plus the onboarding is easy!

The super powers it awakens

There is more, I also like that I can search directly and get to know how many days are remaining without me visiting my browser, e.g., I can type “days until Christmas 2026” and the correct answer will appear.

What I am using

I really enjoy window management, and I have hotkeys I use. For example, if I want to position the browser and VS Code, I press Ctrl+Alt+← to move the browser to the left, and Ctrl+Alt+→ to move VS Code to the right. This helps me when I am coding.

If I need to make any of them full screen, I use Ctrl+Alt+F. To make it slightly larger, I use Ctrl+Alt+L. Alt+S opens another window in the middle, and I change the size with Ctrl+Alt+-.

When I am launching the Raycast app, I use Alt+V. For clipboard history, I use Ctrl+Alt+C.

I have also added aliases for apps: Notion as no, VS Code as vs, and Figma as fg. For emojis, I use Ctrl+Shift+,. For shutting down my computer, I use Ctrl+Alt+Q.

Amazing Extensions

When it comes to extensions the one i use a lot is the Tailwind CSS and when i click enter e.g., select search Documentation and enter type “padding” enter the correct document on padding opens up.

Also another extension is called “Kill Process” this one helps to kill running app by just writing the app’s name and that particular app will be closed.

Another one, when I want to share code that I have an image is “ray.so” which has a command “create image from code” also set alias as “ray”.

Conclusion

Raycast transformed my Windows workflow by speeding up app launching, simplifying window management, and giving me powerful extensions on demand. With hotkeys, aliases, clipboard history, and quick search commands, I stay focused, code faster, and handle daily tasks without breaking my flow or opening extra apps and tabs constantly anymore.