Snippets

Snippets let you store frequently used text and insert it anywhere on your computer with just a few keystrokes. Whether it's email templates, code blocks, addresses, or emoji sequences, Snippets save you from typing the same things over and over. In v2, Snippets gain support for tagging and a new {calculator} dynamic placeholder.

Creating a Snippet

To create a new Snippet:

1. Open Raycast and search for Create Snippet
2. Enter the text you want to save in the Snippet Text field. This can be plain text, formatted content, code, or any text you type repeatedly.
3. Give your Snippet a Name so you can find it later.
4. Optionally assign a Keyword to enable auto-expansion (see below).
5. Optionally add Tags to organize your Snippets into groups.

Keywords & Auto-Expansion

Keywords are the real power behind Snippets. When you assign a keyword to a Snippet, typing that keyword in any application automatically replaces it with the full Snippet text. This works everywhere: in your browser, code editor, email client, chat apps, and more.

How Auto-Expansion Works

1. Assign a keyword to your Snippet (e.g., !email, ;;addr, /sig)
2. Type the keyword in any text field on your computer
3. Raycast automatically replaces the keyword with your Snippet text

Auto-Expansion Settings

You can enable or disable auto-expansion globally in Raycast Settings → Snippets. When disabled, Snippets still work — you just need to search for them in Raycast and paste manually instead of using keyword triggers.

Keyword Character Reference

Not all characters can be used in keywords. Raycast uses certain characters as word-boundary delimiters, which means they will trigger expansion rather than become part of the keyword itself.

Characters that cannot be used in keywords:

• Backtick: `
• Quotation marks: single quote ', double quote ", and their curly/smart variants ' ' " "
• Whitespace: spaces, tabs, and newlines
• Other delimiters: some additional punctuation characters act as word boundaries and will trigger expansion instead of being included in the keyword

Characters that can be used in keywords:

• Letters: all Unicode letters (Latin, Cyrillic, CJK, etc.)
• Numbers: 0–9
• Hyphen & underscore: - and _
• Math symbols: such as + = < >
• Currency symbols: $ € £ ¥ and others
• Most punctuation: including ! ; / . , @ # ~ & (except the restricted characters listed above)

Searching & Managing Snippets

The Search Snippets command gives you a central view of all your Snippets. From here you can:

• Search by name, keyword, or content
• Filter by tag to quickly narrow down your collection
• Copy a Snippet to your clipboard
• Paste a Snippet directly into the active application
• Pin frequently used Snippets to the top of the list
• Edit, duplicate, or delete Snippets

Dynamic Placeholders

Snippets support dynamic placeholders — special tokens that are replaced with live data when the Snippet is expanded. This lets you create context-aware Snippets that adapt every time you use them.

Available Placeholders

Here are some commonly used dynamic placeholders:

• {date}: inserts the current date
• {time}: inserts the current time
• {day}: the current day of the week
• {clipboard}: pastes the current clipboard contents
• {cursor}: positions your cursor at this point after expansion
• {random}: generates a random UUID

New A new {calculator} dynamic placeholder is now available. It evaluates a math expression inline when the Snippet is expanded. For example, a Snippet containing Total: {calculator expression="100 * 1.19"} would output Total: 119. This placeholder is also available in Quicklinks and AI Commands.

Date & Time Formatting

Date and time placeholders support custom formatting. You can specify a format string using standard date patterns:

• {date: YYYY-MM-DD} → 2026-04-01
• {date: MMM D, YYYY} → Apr 1, 2026
• {time: HH:mm} → 14:30

You can also use date math to reference relative dates, such as {date+1d} for tomorrow or {date-7d} for a week ago.

Tags

New Snippets now support tagging. Tags let you organize your Snippets into logical groups — for example, by project, language, client, or purpose. You can assign one or more tags when creating or editing a Snippet, and then filter by tag in the Search Snippets view to quickly find what you need.

To add a tag:

1. Open the Snippet editor (create a new Snippet or edit an existing one)
2. Use the Tags field to assign one or more tags
3. Type a new tag name to create it, or select from existing tags

In the Search Snippets view, use the tag filter dropdown to show only Snippets with a specific tag. This makes it easy to manage large Snippet collections.

Shared Snippets (Teams)

With Raycast for Teams, you can create shared Snippets that are available to everyone on your team. This is ideal for maintaining consistent messaging: support responses, company boilerplate, onboarding templates, and more.

Shared Snippets are managed from the same Search Snippets interface. They appear alongside your personal Snippets and can be filtered separately. Team admins can manage shared Snippets from the Raycast Teams dashboard.

Importing Snippets

Raycast supports importing Snippets from other text expansion tools and from CSV files. To import:

1. Open Raycast and search for Import Snippets
2. Select your source file (CSV or a supported export format)
3. Review the imported Snippets and confirm

This makes it easy to migrate from tools like TextExpander, aText, Espanso, or PhraseExpress without losing your existing library.

Use Cases & Examples

Here are some practical ways to use Snippets:

• Email signatures: Keyword !sig expands to your full signature with name, title, and contact info
• Meeting notes template: Keyword !notes expands to a structured template with {date} and {cursor} placeholders
• Code snippets: Keyword ;;log expands to console.log({cursor})
• Support replies: Tag your customer support responses and quickly filter by client or issue type
• Emoji combos: Keyword !shrug expands to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Troubleshooting

If Snippets aren't working as expected, here are some common issues and steps to resolve them.