Switching from Raycast to Maccy

Why move clipboard duties to Maccy

• Dedicated & independent: your clipboard is not bound to a launcher you might change later.
• Focused features: pinning, ignore lists, plain-text paste, retention control — all clipboard-first.
• Open source & private: local storage, auditable code (security review).
• Always free: no plan tiers involved.

For the side-by-side, see Maccy vs Raycast clipboard.

You can keep Raycast

This is not an either/or. Raycast remains excellent for launching apps, window management, and extensions. A common, happy setup is Raycast for launching + Maccy for the clipboard — they do not conflict.

How to switch, step by step

1. Install Maccy and grant Accessibility (install and configure).
2. Re-copy and pin any snippets you kept in Raycast’s history; clipboard history does not transfer between apps (migrating history).
3. Avoid a hotkey clash. If Raycast also has a clipboard shortcut, either disable Raycast’s clipboard history or give the two different hotkeys. Set Maccy to ⌘ ⇧ C.
4. Decide on overlap. Turn off Raycast’s clipboard history if you want Maccy to own that job cleanly, or leave both if you prefer.

After the switch

Within a day the ⌘ ⇧ C reflex sets in. You keep Raycast’s launcher power and gain a dedicated, private clipboard. Learn the rest in the shortcuts guide.

Why people switch from Raycast clipboard to Maccy

Raycast is an excellent app launcher, but its clipboard history is a secondary feature within a larger tool. The reasons people switch to a dedicated clipboard manager like Maccy include:

• Raycast Pro required: Raycast’s clipboard history is behind the Pro subscription ($96/year) after the free tier limits. Maccy is free.
• Lighter footprint: Maccy uses 14–22 MB RAM. Raycast uses 80–200 MB for the full app.
• Focused tool: Maccy does one thing. Raycast’s clipboard is buried inside a launcher.
• Regex search: Maccy has full regex support. Raycast does not.

Step-by-step switch from Raycast to Maccy

1. Install Maccy

brew install --cask maccy

Or download the .dmg from maccymanager.com/download. Grant Accessibility permission when prompted.

2. Export important clips from Raycast

In Raycast, open Clipboard History (usually Cmd+Shift+C or via the Raycast launcher). For each important item, press Return to copy it — Maccy immediately captures it. Pin the critical ones in Maccy with Cmd+P.

3. Disable Raycast clipboard history

1. Open Raycast Preferences → Extensions → Clipboard History
2. Disable the extension

This prevents two apps from competing for clipboard events and keyboard shortcuts.

4. Set your Maccy shortcut

Open Maccy Preferences → General → change the shortcut to whatever you were using in Raycast (or any shortcut that does not conflict with other apps).

Can you run Maccy and Raycast together?

Yes. Maccy handles clipboard history while Raycast handles app launching, search, and other features. They serve different purposes and coexist without conflict as long as they don’t share keyboard shortcuts.

Many users use both: Raycast for launching apps and running commands, Maccy for clipboard history. Configure them with distinct shortcuts and they work independently.

What you gain by switching

• Free clipboard management (no Raycast Pro needed)
• Faster clipboard access (Maccy opens faster than Raycast)
• Regex search
• Per-app ignore list for password managers
• iCloud sync across Macs
• ~60–150 MB freed from RAM (Maccy vs Raycast running)