Raycast is now available on Windows

Last September, we reported that Raycast, the popular macOS command bar and launcher tool, was set to make its way to Windows in 2025. Since its launch in 2020, Raycast has quickly become the go-to app that people recommend for new Mac users due to its speed, UI, features, and plethora of extensions.

People have been begging for a Windows build, and even a Linux one, for a long time. Now, the company has published a YouTube video showcasing the beta on a Microsoft Surface and explaining how you can get your hands on it today.

It's all opened by pressing the default hotkey (Alt + Space). This gives you a central command bar to launch apps, run commands, and search for files. You get a lot of the core features right now, like a calculator that handles natural language queries, a full clipboard history manager, and tools for creating text snippets and quicklinks.

For example, typing .pdf instantly filters for just PDF documents, and using a forward slash lets you navigate through folder paths directly. Once you find a file, pressing Ctrl + K opens a contextual action menu with options like "Show in File Explorer" or "Copy File." The included calculator is also a powerhouse, handling everything from basic math to natural language queries, like "time in Barcelona" or "days until August 12."

The full clipboard history manager is a massive upgrade over the Windows default. It keeps a running log of everything you copy to your clipboard, including blocks of text, links, images, and files. You can open the clipboard history and search through every item you've copied. It also comes with a powerful filtering system. By pressing Ctrl + P, you can filter your history to show only text, images, links, or even just colors.

Its Quick AI feature is also included and will be free for everyone during the beta period. That means you can ask it questions and get answers without needing a Pro subscription for now. Quick AI is built on a set of AI models, like GPT-4o mini, which maintains conversational context, allowing for natural follow-up questions, and you can browse your entire chat history. There's also an "AI search" feature, which is listed as coming soon.

The most surprising part is the support for third-party extensions right out of the gate. Raycast built its reputation on an extensive library of integrations that connect it to services like Slack, YouTube, and GitHub.

While some of these extensions are written for specific macOS features and are not compatible, many of the extensions are written in JavaScript, which means a huge number of them already work from day one on Windows.

Image: @alvaniss1g on X

As you can guess, the beta is not feature-complete. A lot of the heavy-hitting Pro features are still on the roadmap and are promised to be coming soon. This includes Cloud Sync to keep your settings consistent across machines, as well as the much-loved Raycast Notes feature.

If you are a Pro user on Mac looking to switch, you may want to wait a little longer for full parity. Snippet expansion and calendar integration are also on the to-do list for future updates.

Getting into the beta is a bit of a process. Access is being managed through a gradual rollout, with priority given to users who signed up for the waitlist announced last year. If you are on the list, you can expect to receive an email soon. And if you don't like the waitlist, your best bet is to find a friend who already has an invite code, as each invited user gets a few extra codes to share.

Sorry, Linux users, but there is no word on your build at the moment, and we're not holding our breath.