It would be fair to say that I’ve never been a fan of Windows Search. It feels slow, inconsistent, and just a little too eager to get in my way when all I want is to find a file and move on. That’s why I eventually replaced it with Everything, which does one thing extremely well and does it fast. For a long time, that solved my search problem on Windows, and I stopped thinking much about alternatives altogether.
Then the Windows beta of Raycast landed, and it caught my attention for a different reason. Raycast isn’t really about “search” in the traditional sense. It’s less about finding a thing and more about finding a thing, doing something with it, and immediately getting back to what you were working on. That mindset clicked with me right away. As someone who spends most of the day in front of a computer, I’m always on the lookout for small productivity wins that shave off friction. Raycast felt like one of those tools that might actually change how I work, not just replace another built-in feature that I already ignore.
Raycast: Search is just the starting point
Raycast started life on macOS as a keyboard-first productivity launcher, and that background matters because it explains why it feels so different from the tools Windows users typically use. At its core, Raycast is a command palette. You bring it up with the default shortcut Alt+Space (it’s customizable), type what you want, and act on it immediately. That might mean opening an app, jumping to a file, running a script, checking the clipboard, or triggering an automation. The goal is speed and flow, not browsing through menus or stopping to think about where something lives.
What sets Raycast apart is that it treats search as a means, not the end. You are not just finding a file. You are finding a file and doing something with it. Rename it, move it, open it in a specific app, or pipe it into another action without breaking focus. That mindset feels closer to how I want to work. I live on the keyboard and bounce between tasks all day.
The Windows version is still in beta, and it shows a few rough edges, but the foundation is there. Even in this early state, it feels less like a replacement for Windows Search and more like a rethink of what launching, searching, and acting should look like on a modern desktop.
Getting Raycast for Windows
Getting the app is easy. Go to the Raycast for Windows download page, click on the Microsoft Store icon, and run the installer.
The beta works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you’re a command line pro you can install it using WinGet.
Why Raycast’s command palette is more than just search
For me, the real strength of Raycast shows up once you start leaning on extensions. Out of the box, it’s already fast, but extensions are what turn it into something more than a launcher. Instead of thinking in terms of apps and windows, I’m trying to think in actions. Search for a file and immediately move it. Pull up a PDF and open it in the browser of my choice. The command palette becomes a place where work happens, not just a stepping stone to another tool.
What makes this compelling is how well it scales with your habits. You don’t need to overhaul how you work or adopt a bunch of rigid workflows. You add extensions as problems come up, and Raycast quietly absorbs them into the same interface you’re already using all day. It adapts to you, not the other way around. Even in the Windows beta, where the ecosystem is still finding its footing, the idea is already clear.
This is a good example of how extensions work in Raycast. Instead of opening Task Manager or digging through system menus, I just trigger Raycast, type a few letters, and the Kill Process extension takes over. It instantly shows a searchable list of running processes, sorted and ready to act on. From there, it’s one keystroke to terminate whatever’s misbehaving and move on. There’s no setup, no context switching, and no extra UI to learn. It’s a small action, but it perfectly illustrates the Raycast mindset. Search, act, done.
Clipboard history is one of Raycast’s most useful built-ins
One of the built-in features I keep coming back to in Raycast is the integrated clipboard history. It’s the kind of tool you don’t think about until it’s there, and then it’s hard to imagine working without it. Raycast keeps a running history of everything you copy, so you’re not punished for grabbing something new and accidentally overwriting what you meant to paste a moment ago. Bring it up, type a few letters, and your recent clipboard entries are right there, ready to use.
There’s no separate app to open and no new workflow to learn. It just becomes part of the same command palette I’m already using for everything else. When I’m bouncing between documents, terminals, and browsers all day, that quick access saves real time and mental effort. Instead of re-copying text or retracing my steps, I grab what I need and move on. It may seem like a small feature on paper, but for me, it’s one of those quality-of-life upgrades that has added up fast.
Using it is straightforward. I trigger Raycast, type Clipboard, and instantly see a searchable list of my recent copies. From there, I can paste an item as-is, copy it again, or take action on it without leaving the keyboard. There’s no digging through menus or guessing what I copied last. It’s all right there, and once it becomes muscle memory, it’s hard to give up.
Free AI during the Windows beta
One last reason you may want to take it for a spin is because the AI features are free while the Windows version is still in beta, which makes it easy to experiment without committing to anything. I’m treating it the same way I treat most AI tools right now. Interesting, occasionally useful, but not the reason I’m here. If you lean on AI more heavily, it’s another box Raycast checks. If you don’t, it stays out of your way.
More under the hood
I haven’t scratched the surface of everything Raycast can do. There are features here for window management, deeper automations, snippets, integrations, and plenty more that I just haven’t needed yet. Not because they’re bad or half-baked, I haven’t found the time to explore them all. That’s a good place for a productivity tool to be.
Raycast didn’t win me over by trying to do everything at once. A handful of features made an immediate difference, and everything else is icing on the cake. I will take the time to work on some automations in 2026. Even in beta, it already fits naturally into how I work. If it manages to keep that focus as it matures, this is the kind of productivity tool that earns a permanent spot on my system without making a fuss.
