How to Get the Most From Raycast

[Raycast](https://preview.redd.it/rga8s2tjjr6g1.png?width=2400&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad46d7e2f17a4024cdd6a4a0c43a19fa6193bfde)

As I enter my third year using Raycast, I'm still impressed with the sheer volume of use cases into which it fits. I've been using a keyboard driven application launcher since 2006. For the majority of that time, I was a devout Launchbar fan. installing it on Mac after Mac and dutifully paying for the infrequent upgrades. When I initially heard about [Raycast](https://raycast.com/), I wasn't interested, but the uproar just kept getting louder. Tech bloggers and Reddit sang its praises and kept pointing out new features one after another. I finally relented and downloaded it. Having also tried Quicksilver back in the day and Alfred, I can honestly say that I was surprised at what I could do with Raycast.

# The Apps It Replaced

Free extensions and built in Raycast features eliminated the need for a whole list of utilities I previously used.

* Raycast's built in clipboard manager along with extensions like [Append Clipboard](https://raycast.com/koinzhang/append-clipboard) replaced [Pastepal](https://appaddict.app/post/battle-of-the-clipboard-managers) (which is an excellent app in its own right)
* [Auto Quit App](https://raycast.com/koinzhang/auto-quit-app), much improved from when first implemented, replaced [Quitter](https://marco.org/apps).
* While not exactly a replacement, [Brew](https://raycast.com/nhojb/brew) is more useful and easier to use than the CLI for [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/).
* [Clean Keyboard ](https://raycast.com/ike-gg/clean-keyboard)replaced [Cleanup Buddy](https://cleanupbuddy.app/)
* [Color Picker](https://raycast.com/thomas/color-picker) replaced [Color Slurp](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/colorslurp/id1287239339)
* The [Image Modification](https://raycast.com/HelloImSteven/sips) extension eliminated the need to fire up apps like [Acorn](https://appaddict.app/post/acorn-image-editor-provides-great-value) or [ToyViewer](https://appaddict.app/post/toyviewer-a-preview-replacment) for making simple changes to images such as resizing and file type conversion.
* [Timers](https://raycast.com/ThatNerd/timers) provides an easy way to do what I used to do with [Timix](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timix-modern-timer-for-all/id6477807870)
* [Weather](https://raycast.com/tonka3000/weather) works great and it replaced [Meteorologist](https://appaddict.app/post/meteorologist-free-and-open-source-menu-bar-weather)
* [Speedtest](https://raycast.com/tonka3000/speedtest) can be run whenever I need it without having to open an app like [Speediness](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/speediness/id1596706466?mt=12).

# Added Functionality

The other side of Raycast's versatility is its ability to provide access to your application stack's functions without you having to open the app and navigate to the feature you want to use. Here are some examples:

* [Amphetamine](https://appaddict.app/post/amphetamine-ultimate-sleep-prevention-for-your-mac) \- start a new session, stop a session, get remaining time and more - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/gstvds/amphetamine)
* [BetterDisplay](https://appaddict.app/post/better-display) \- manage displays - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/pascal_burkhard/betterdisplay)
* [BetterTouchTool](https://apps.louplummer.lol/post/better-touch-tool-favorite) \- run actions and triggers - [https://raycast.com/dnnsmnstrr/bettertouchtool](https://raycast.com/dnnsmnstrr/bettertouchtool)
* [CleanShotX](https://appaddict.app/post/cleanshot-x) \- access almost any feature straight from Raycast - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/Aayush9029/cleanshotx)
* [Day One](https://appaddict.app/post/day-one-is-popular-for-a-reason) \- add entry - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/AntonNiklasson/day-one)
* [Drafts](https://appaddict.app/post/using-obsidian-and-drafts-together) \- more than a dozen actions - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/FlohGro/drafts)
*

[Dropover](https://appaddict.app/post/dropover-best-in-class) \- add to Dropover - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/jag-k/dropover)
* [Fantastical](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fantastical-calendar/id718043190) \- add reminders and events - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/devahschaefers/fantastical)
* [iTerm2](https://iterm2.com/) \-multiple features, including AI - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/ron-myers/iterm)
* [Keyboard Maestro](https://amerpie.lol/2024/05/01/my-top-keyboard.html) \- list macros -[ Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/eluce2/list-keyboard-maestro-macros)
* [Apple Music](https://www.apple.com/apple-music/) \- play anything, volume, start, stop, shuffle and more - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/fedevitaledev/music)
* [Obsidian](https://obsidian.amerpie.lol/) \- create note from clipboard - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/marcjulian/obsidian)
* [Raindrop.io](https://appaddict.app/post/battle-of-the-bookmark-managers) \- access your Raindrop bookmarks - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/lardissone/raindrop-io)
* [Houdahspot](https://appaddict.app/post/file-finding-apps) \- search with Houdahspot - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/felixthehat/houdahspot-search)
* [Shortcuts](https://appaddict.app/post/enhance-apple-shortcuts-with-these-apps) \- search and open any shortcut - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/solomkinmv/shortcuts-search)
* [Vivaldi](https://appaddict.app/post/vivaldi-my-favorite-browser-just-got-some-updates) \-bookmarks, history, tabs, windows - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/crisboarna/vivaldi)
* [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/) \- multiple functions - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/tailscale/tailscale)
* [Things 3](https://appaddict.app/post/things-3-maybe-the-pinnacle-in-app-design) \- add tasks and projects, see lists - [Raycast Extension](https://raycast.com/loris/things)

# Other Features

* [Raycast Quicklinks](https://appaddict.app/post/raycast-quicklinks-power-searching-from-the-keyboard)
* [Raycast Notes](https://appaddict.app/post/raycast-new-notes-feature-available-now)

https://redd.it/1pkq6hv
@macappsbackup

Looking for a very simple DTP app that features a feature from Pages that was taken out when iWork 09 was retired

I'm having a bit of an issue: there is a feature in the very old version of Pages (the one that came with iWork back in 09... yes, we are talking old here) that never came back when they made the app compatible with the iPad version, and that would be the ability to feature different headers and footers on the first page of a section (meaning that you could have something like no header and the page number centered in the footer of the first page, and the chapter name and page number in the header on the right in all other pages). So far I have tried to recreate it but the process is ridiculously convoluted (you have to create a separate section with different headers and footers for the first page of the section, and then a second one for the rest of the text, with the added complication that you can't continue the headers and footers from the previous section, but rather have to reset them each and every time, not to mention that, given that pages doesn't allow you to justify the text on the last line of a paragraph, this totally messes with your layout... or at least it messes with my layout, there may be something obvious I am missing here). Anyway, I am currently in the hunt for an alternative for a project that for the most part is fairly straight forward, and other than that doesn't need anything more sophisticated than Pages itself.

The ones I have considered and discarded are:

InDesign and QuarkXPress (expensive, overkill and with a steep learning curve)

Scribus and Affinity (free but still overkill and with a steep learning curve)

Swift Publisher and iStudio Publisher (affordable and in one instance with a fully functional free trial, but missing a key feature: they can't generate a TOC)

Any ideas?

[edit grammar\]

https://redd.it/1pkrk9t
@macappsbackup

I've totally switched over to Bloom... But..

I've sort of gone back and further between Bloom and Finder, using both. With every update to Bloom, I use it less. There were some apps that kept me there, particularly some right click options found in mouseboost pro.

The main thing I am missing about Finder is a program called Finder Fix. What it did was ensure that Finder always opened in the exact same position.

Is there a program that can do this, which it locks specific windows for specific programs always in the same spot? I am not looking for a window management program, I use loop and moon for that. I am looking for app specific openings.

Thanks for any help.

https://redd.it/1pkvice
@macappsbackup

Any free voice-to-text AI ?

Hi, any free voice-to-text AI dictation app for Mac that's completely free or at least one payment, not subnoscription? Any advice? Thank you.

https://redd.it/1pkxhjj
@macappsbackup

Any free, preferably open-sourced, Mac cleaning softwares

So I know that most popular apps advertised to clean your mac such as Cleaner Pro honestly don’t help at all and are just a malware hard to get rid of. I know there’s a bunch of useful tools for Mac that are open sourced and free that help such as Stats and I was wondering if there was something like this that actually helps you manage and clean your Mac. (MacBook Pro 2024 M4)

https://redd.it/1pkwtvx
@macappsbackup

Photo manager

Any good photo manager for macos, that could make some basic stuff like tagging, organize in folder, basic things, but with a good ui.

https://redd.it/1pl5gcx
@macappsbackup

Quick RSS v2 is released! It’s a simple and easy-to-use desktop RSS reader.

https://redd.it/1plenuk
@macappsbackup

An Apple Disaster You can Avoid

https://preview.redd.it/ccfvwrfy6y6g1.png?width=718&format=png&auto=webp&s=2acbb27161be1f9521623e0e3d1c7d79c481e1ee

I've been on a small crusade for the past year to persuade people who have gone all in on the Apple ecosystem to diversify the back end of their digital lives. Anyone who scoffs at using third-party services for mail, contacts, messages, reminders, cloud storage, music, books, notes, etc. in the name of frugality or out of love for a corporation is putting themselves in a situation that is one step away from a nightmare should they lose access to their Apple ID. Most people think it could never happen to them, but they are wrong. It can happen to anyone.

There's [a story making the rounds today](https://hey.paris/posts/appleid/) about a man whose account was locked by Apple after he unwittingly bought and tried to use a compromised $500 Apple Gift Card from a major brick-and-mortar retailer. Some sort of automatic fraud prevention closed his Apple account, and no amount of phone calls to support and every other available means of contacting Apple has been able to remedy this disaster. This is no ordinary user. The victim in this case is the author of numerous books on Apple programming languages and the organizer of the largest Apple conference in his native country (Australia). His relationship with the company goes back decades.

He can no longer sync his devices. He can't access thousands of dollars in App Store purchases. He's locked out of terabytes of family photographs. He says, "My iPhone, iPad, Watch, and Macs cannot sync, update, or function properly. I have lost access to thousands of dollars in purchased software and media."

This is the exact reason why I chose to use different providers for as many services as possible. If I were in his shoes, I'd still lose a lot, but I wouldn't lose everything like he has. I wasn't aware until I looked into it that you can use many of Apple's apps without using iCloud as the back end. Mail, Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and other features work just fine with other service providers.

My personal stack that works just fine on my Apple hardware includes:

* [Fastmail](https://appaddict.app/post/fmail2-for-fastmail) for mail, calendars, and contacts (works with Apple's apps)
* [Obsidian](https://obsidian.amerpie.lol/) for notes
* [Koofr](https://appaddict.app/post/koofr-european-based-cloud-storage-provider-with-a-generous-free-tier) and [Kdrive](https://www.infomaniak.com/en/ksuite/kdrive) for cloud storage (works with Finder)
* [Homebrew](https://appaddict.app/post/applite-updated-with-new-features) for apps
* [Signal](https://signal.org/download/macos/) for messages
* Non-DRM music (works with the Apple Music app)
* Non-DRM books (works with Apple's Books app and [Calibre](https://appaddict.app/post/calibre-keeps-getting-better))
* Non-DRM audiobooks (using [AudioBookshelf](https://www.audiobookshelf.org/))
* Non-DRM movies and TV (using [Plex](https://appaddict.app/post/how-my-self-hosted-server-fits-my-mac-life) on an Apple TV)

Lest anyone accuse me of being some sort of Apple hater, let me assure you that I am not. I've held Apple certifications since Mac OS X 10.2 Tiger. I've been a Mac user since the 90s. I'm retired from a career in ed-tech that involved supporting tens of thousands of Macs. I've owned Mac laptops, desktops, iPods, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, Apple Watches, and Apple Base Stations. My Mac App Store lifetime purchases are over $6,000. My post-retirement hobby is running an Apple software blog. Don't @ me.

https://redd.it/1pliahh
@macappsbackup

Do not buy ForkLift 4 and good news about Transmit

There’s a few posts in here mentioning how bad is Forklift 4 as a Finder replacement, my primary use case is for remote file transfers so I gave it a try.

After buying a license, I emailed them several times about UI bugs, translation mistakes, etc. and my emails were promptly responded. The real problem for me is that ForkLift is just terrible for remote transfers. I sent them an email with videos showing how downloading a 20mb folder takes around 2 minutes with Transmit but with ForkLift takes 7 minutes, I needed to move several sites to a different server and some folders have around 7/10 GB of files so using ForkLift was basically impossible.

They told me they suspected that there was some issue while ForkLift is calculating the folder size and copying at the beginning because the upload speed is extremely slow while the calculation is still happening, after that is done, the speed gets faster. When in Transmit, Transmits knows the size right away. 

They wanted access to my server to investigate the issue and told me "We will give you a refund if we can't fix this issue or even if we can but you want a refund".

I explained that I couldn’t give access to my production server, and I had less than 5 days to move all the sites so I had to use Transmit and requested a refund. Since then, they’ve completely stopped replying, no refund and no response for two weeks when at the beginning they were replying in 2/3 days.

It’s a shame they’re handling it this way. I also had a ForkLift 3 license, it wasn’t perfect, but it worked way better than ForkLift 4.

So I gave up un ForkLift and decided to contact Panic to ask about the future of Transmit and they told me that they're in the early stages of what will come next for Transmit and already have a list for beta testers so if you are interested, contact Panic and let them know you want to be added to the list.

If you are looking for a remote file transfer app, do not buy ForkLift 4, the app is not reliable, has a lot of bugs, can't be used for work and they will not provide a refund even when they say they will.

https://redd.it/1pljo99
@macappsbackup

[$35.88 → FREE YEAR of Pro] Cross-platform podcast app FluidCast now live on iOS, iPad, Mac (Windows / Linux / Android alpha)
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1pll7dc

https://redd.it/1pll86c
@macappsbackup

Media Server Pro - quickly and easily share content from your mac to TVs and games consoles

I made this app because I found existing solutions to be overly-complicated, or required subnoscriptions etc.

Media Server Pro is super simple - you start it up, select a directory containing your music/videos, and then it appears as a device on your TV or games console.

Give it a try! Feedback welcome.

One off payment, no accounts needed, no subnoscriptions, 50% off the usual price over the holidays!


https://apps.apple.com/us/app/media-server-pro/id6756138940.

https://redd.it/1plphkz
@macappsbackup

Help Finding Recent App - Middle Click

Someone recently posted that they made a middle click app, because the one on that app store wasn't functioning correct. I can't find the convo. If anyone saw that, let me know

https://redd.it/1plpyrj
@macappsbackup

Do not recommend the SoundSource software | About RogueAmoeba deceptive marketing strategies

https://redd.it/1plunyy
@macappsbackup