Complete Raycast keyboard shortcuts reference — 64 shortcuts across 15 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for macOS & Windows.
Raycast is a launcher, so nearly every shortcut here happens inside a window that you open with one global key and dismiss with Esc. The conventions are worth learning once because every extension inherits them: Enter runs the primary action, Ctrl + K shows the rest, and Ctrl plus a letter reaches the common ones directly. The table is the Windows keymap; the macOS original uses Cmd, and the last group lists those.
Global (1)
Shortcut
Action
Alt + Space
Open or close Raycast
Navigation (5)
Shortcut
Action
Esc
Go back to the previous view, or close the window from Root Search
Alt + Space opens or closes Raycast on Windows (Cmd + Space on macOS if you have given it Spotlight's key). Type to search commands, apps and files, press Enter for the primary action and Ctrl + K to open the Action Panel with everything else; Ctrl + Enter runs the secondary action without opening the panel. Esc goes back one view and Shift + Esc pops all the way to root, which is faster than pressing Esc four times after drilling into an extension.
Acting on items
The Ctrl + letter actions are consistent across extensions: Ctrl + O opens, Ctrl + Shift + O reveals in the file manager, Ctrl + Y shows a Quick Look preview, Ctrl + E edits, Ctrl + I shows details, Ctrl + D duplicates and Ctrl + . pins. Ctrl + C copies the item's primary value and Ctrl + Shift + C its secondary one — a deeplink to the command, for example. Ctrl + F adds the selected item to Favorites so it sits at the top of root search.
AI Chat
Inside AI Chat, Ctrl + Shift + M changes the model and Ctrl + Shift + U the reasoning effort, Ctrl + Shift + B branches the conversation from a message so an alternative can be explored without losing the thread, and Ctrl + Shift + A attaches a file. Ctrl + J from anywhere sends the selected item to AI Chat as context. Ctrl + Shift + S toggles the history sidebar and Ctrl + Shift + F searches past chats.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see all the actions available for an item?
Press Ctrl + K to open the Action Panel. It lists every action with its shortcut.
How do I get back to the main search quickly?
Shift + Esc pops to root from any depth. Esc goes back one view at a time.
Can I use Raycast instead of Spotlight or the Start menu?
Yes. Assign Alt + Space (Windows) or Cmd + Space (macOS) as the hotkey in Raycast Settings; on macOS you first disable Spotlight's use of that key.
What is Ctrl + Shift + C for?
It copies an item's secondary value, such as the deeplink for a command or the path of a file, where Ctrl + C copies the primary one.
🤖 Ask AI about Raycast shortcuts
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"