Raycast Keyboard Shortcuts
Raycast positions itself as a direct, more powerful replacement for Spotlight, and most users' first step after installing it is remapping the system Cmd+Space shortcut away from Spotlight and onto Raycast, which technically isn't a Raycast-specific shortcut so much as a macOS System Settings change everyone doing a full switch ends up making. Beyond the core launcher invocation, Raycast's real depth comes from its extension ecosystem — clipboard history, window management, snippet expansion — each of which layers its own optional shortcuts on top of the base app, meaning two different users' Raycast shortcut sets can look meaningfully different depending on which extensions they've installed and bound. Because it's Mac-only, there's no Windows or Linux equivalent to note here. This page is aimed at Mac power users switching from Spotlight or Alfred who want to actually use Raycast's extension ecosystem rather than treat it as a plain app launcher, since the clipboard history, snippets, and window management extensions are where most of the daily time savings come from once the initial setup is done. Because Raycast's extension-based shortcuts have no fixed universal defaults the way core launcher invocation does, it's worth treating your own Preferences > Extensions panel as the real source of truth for your specific setup rather than assuming any particular binding documented anywhere online matches your configuration exactly. The built-in calculator and AI command features both showcase Raycast's broader ambition beyond being a plain app launcher, with quick arithmetic evaluation available to every user for free and AI-powered commands reserved for the Pro tier, reflecting how the same core command-bar interaction model has been extended to cover an increasingly wide range of quick, keyboard-first productivity tasks beyond simply opening applications.
Launcher Core
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Raycast | — | Cmd+Space (after remapping from Spotlight) | Opens the main Raycast command bar; since macOS binds Cmd+Space to Spotlight by default, most users reassign it to Raycast in System Settings > Keyboard Shortcuts during initial setup. |
| Open Quicklinks list | — | Type directly in Raycast bar, no separate shortcut | Quicklinks (saved URLs, file paths, or app deep-links) are accessed by simply typing their assigned name in the main Raycast search bar rather than a dedicated keyboard shortcut, functioning as bookmarkable, launchable shortcuts of their own. |
| Focus search field within Raycast | — | Automatic on open | The search field is automatically focused the instant Raycast opens, so typing immediately begins filtering results with no separate step needed to click into a search box first. |
| Navigate result list | — | Up/Down Arrow, Enter to select | Arrow keys move the highlighted selection through the filtered results list, with Enter running the highlighted command, app launch, or extension action. |
| Open Action Panel for selected item | — | Cmd+K | Opens a contextual secondary menu of additional actions available for the currently highlighted result, similar in spirit to a right-click context menu but keyboard-driven, often revealing options beyond the default Enter action. |
| Use built-in calculator | — | Type a math expression directly in Raycast bar | Any arithmetic typed straight into Raycast's search bar gets evaluated on the fly and the result appears instantly, with Enter putting that number on the clipboard — no separate Calculator app required at all. |
| Trigger a Raycast AI command | — | Type command keyword (Raycast Pro feature) | Invokes one of Raycast's built-in or custom AI-powered commands (like summarizing selected text or drafting a quick reply), a Pro-tier feature layered on top of the core free launcher functionality. |
Window Management
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap window to left half | — | Cmd+Ctrl+Left (Window Management extension, customizable) | Resizes and moves the focused window to occupy the left half of the screen, part of Raycast's optional Window Management extension that replicates functionality similar to Windows' native Snap or third-party Mac tools like Rectangle. |
| Snap window to right half | — | Cmd+Ctrl+Right (Window Management extension, customizable) | Moves and resizes the focused window to fill the right half of the screen — the mirror image of the left-half command, useful for setting up a quick two-app side-by-side view. |
| Maximize window | — | Cmd+Ctrl+Return (Window Management extension, customizable) | Expands the focused window to fill the entire screen, functionally similar to macOS's native green-button fullscreen but without switching to a dedicated fullscreen Space. |
| Center window on screen | — | Cmd+Ctrl+C (Window Management extension, customizable) | Centers the focused window on the current display without changing its size, part of the same optional Window Management extension powering the left/right snap and maximize shortcuts. |
Clipboard Snippets
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Clipboard History | — | Cmd+Shift+V (customizable, or type 'clipboard') | Opens the clipboard history extension, which keeps a searchable, scrollable log of previously copied text and images that goes far beyond the single most-recent item macOS's native clipboard remembers. |
| Expand a text snippet | — | Type assigned snippet keyword anywhere text can be typed | Typing a configured snippet keyword (like typing ';addr' to expand into a full mailing address) anywhere across the system expands it automatically, functioning system-wide rather than being scoped to the Raycast window itself. |
| Create a new snippet | — | Open Raycast, type 'Create Snippet' | Opens Raycast's snippet-creation form via its own command rather than a dedicated keyboard shortcut, where you define the snippet's trigger keyword and the full text it should expand to, saved for reuse system-wide afterward. |
| Pin a clipboard history item | — | Within Clipboard History, use Action Panel to pin | Marks a specific clipboard entry as pinned so it won't get pushed out of history by newer copies, useful for keeping a frequently reused piece of text (a signature block, a common code snippet) permanently accessible rather than relying on it staying within whatever history depth is configured. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have to manually reassign Cmd+Space to open Raycast?
macOS binds Cmd+Space to Spotlight at the system level by default, and that binding isn't something Raycast can simply override on installation without your explicit permission, since it involves changing a core OS keyboard shortcut. Raycast's setup walkthrough prompts you to do this in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Spotlight, disabling Spotlight's binding so Raycast can claim it instead.
Why do window management shortcuts vary so much between different Raycast users?
Window management is delivered as an optional built-in extension rather than a core always-on feature, and its keyboard shortcuts are fully customizable with no fixed universal defaults — a user could bind window snapping to entirely different keys than another user, or not enable the extension at all, which is why online searches turn up inconsistent answers for 'the' Raycast window shortcut.
Are snippets scoped only to Raycast's own window?
No — text snippets work system-wide once configured, expanding in any application where you can type text (a browser form, an email client, a code editor), not just within Raycast's own interface. This distinguishes them from most of Raycast's other features, which only function while the Raycast window itself is open and focused.
How long does Clipboard History actually retain old copied items?
This depends on your Raycast plan and configured settings — free usage typically retains a shorter recent window of clipboard history, while paid tiers can extend that retention significantly longer, and pinning specific important items is the recommended way to guarantee something stays accessible indefinitely regardless of how deep the general unpinned history goes before older entries age out.
What's the benefit of a Raycast snippet over just keeping a text file with copy-paste-ready boilerplate?
A snippet expands automatically the instant you type its trigger keyword in any text field system-wide, without needing to switch to a separate file, select the text, copy it, switch back, and paste — collapsing what would be several manual steps into simply typing a short memorized keyword directly where you need the final text to appear.
Is Raycast free, or does meaningful use require a paid subscription?
The core launcher, extension ecosystem, and most productivity extensions including window management and snippets are free, while Raycast Pro adds features like AI commands, extended clipboard history retention, and cloud sync across devices, meaning a genuinely useful daily-driver setup is achievable on the free tier before ever needing to consider upgrading.