Raycast for Windows launches public beta with native search and extension support

After years of waiting, one of the best third party tools from macOS is finally coming to Windows! (well, still not final but almost). Raycast has just announced that the Windows version of its universal search and system launcher is now in public beta, introducing a natively build for the platform with familiar keyboard shortcuts and a layout adapted to Windows conventions. It offers unified search for apps, files, and installed games, supported by a custom real time indexer created to compensate for the lack of a suitable system wide index on Windows.

The most obvious alternative would be the also recently launched PowerToys Command Palette, although Raycast has the advantage of including access to thousands of extensions for tasks like smart home control, Notion search, GitHub management, and more, all available through the built in store. Most extensions work on both macOS and Windows thanks to the cross platform API, and developers can build new ones using React and TypeScript. Quick AI, their AI-driven set of tools, is also free during the beta, delivering instant answers with citations through GPT 5 mini, with optional upgrades for additional models.

Core features include app launching, window management shortcuts, Clipboard History, Quicklinks, Snippets, and full system file search. Upcoming updates will introduce AI Chat, Notes, and other tools already available on macOS.