How to Build the Perfect Raycast Mac Menu Bar (Without the Clutter)

If you've spent any time optimizing your Mac workflow, you've probably discovered Raycast. It's fast, extendable, and packed with deep links that let you jump straight into any action. But here's the thing — the more extensions you install, the harder it gets to remember what you've got. You end up summoning Raycast, typing partial commands, scrolling through results, and hoping you remember the right keyword. Your raycast mac setup is powerful, but accessing that power still takes effort.

What if your most-used Raycast mac commands lived permanently in your menu bar? No typing. No searching. Just one hotkey and a clean list of actions you actually use. That's exactly what we're building today.

Why Raycast Became the Go-To Launcher for Mac

Raycast has earned its reputation as the ultimate Mac launcher for good reason. It's fast, keyboard-driven, and ridiculously extendable. The extension store alone has hundreds of options — from controlling Spotify to managing GitHub repos to capturing screenshots with CleanShot X.

But the real magic is deep links.

Every Raycast command has a deep link. Hit Cmd + K on any command, and Raycast hands you a URL that triggers that exact action. Want to start a new Notion page? There's a deep link. Need to open a specific Slack channel? Deep link. Toggle your microphone, launch a Zoom meeting, create a new Drafts note — all accessible via deep links.

The problem is managing them. Once you've got 30, 50, or 100 extensions installed, your raycast mac setup becomes a maze. You know the action exists somewhere, but finding it means opening Raycast, typing keywords, and hoping autocomplete saves you.

This is where most power users hit a wall.

The Menu Bar Problem You Didn't Know You Had

Take a look at your menu bar right now. How many icons are sitting up there? Ten? Fifteen? Now click on a few of them.

Most menu bar apps ship with bloated menus. CleanShot X gives you 15+ options when you probably use two. Fantastical shows you a mini calendar and a dozen actions when all you want is "New Event." Things 3, Drafts, Bear — same story. These apps assume you want everything, so they give you everything.

The result? Visual noise. Decision fatigue. A menu bar that takes up space without actually helping you move faster.

Here's the good news. On macOS Tahoe, you can Cmd + drag any menu bar icon away. Gone. But removing icons only solves half the problem. You still need quick access to those few actions you actually use.

This is the gap: you need a menu bar that contains only your actions, organized your way, accessible with a single hotkey.

Building Your Personalized Raycast Mac Command Center

ExtraBar lets you build exactly that — a custom menu bar filled with deep links, organized however you want, and triggered with one keyboard shortcut.

Here's the workflow:

Step 1: Identify your most-used Raycast commands

Open Raycast and scroll through your extensions. Which ones do you trigger daily? Maybe it's CleanShot X for screenshots, Spotify for playback controls, or a specific Notion workspace. Write down your top 5-10 actions.

Step 2: Grab the deep links

For each command, open Raycast and navigate to that action. Press Cmd + K. Raycast shows you the deep link — a URL that looks something like raycast://extensions/author/extension/command. Copy it.

Step 3: Add them to ExtraBar

Open ExtraBar and create a new item. Paste the deep link, give it a name, and optionally assign an icon. Repeat for each action.

Step 4: Choose your display mode

ExtraBar offers three modes:

• Floating Mode — A separate bar that floats on your screen

• Inline Mode — Icons sit directly in your native menu bar, blending with macOS

• Menu Mode — Everything collapses under a single icon. Click or use keyboard navigation to access your actions. Menu Mode can be floating or inline, keeping your menu bar minimal

For most users, Menu Mode with inline placement hits the sweet spot. One icon, zero clutter, full access.

Step 5: Set your global hotkey

Assign a hotkey to summon ExtraBar. Now your entire raycast mac toolkit is one keystroke away — no need to open Raycast, no need to type anything.

Replacing Bloated App Menus with Raycast Mac Deep Links

Let's get practical. Here's how to clean up specific apps by replacing their default menus with lean ExtraBar setups powered by Raycast.

CleanShot X

The default CleanShot X menu has over a dozen options: Capture Area, Capture Window, Capture Fullscreen, Scrolling Capture, Record Screen, Self-Timer, and on and on.

But let's be honest — you probably use two or three of these regularly.

Raycast has a CleanShot X extension with deep links for every action. Grab the deep links for "Capture Area" and "Record Screen" (or whichever you use most). Add them to ExtraBar. Then Cmd + drag the CleanShot X icon off your menu bar.

You just replaced 15 menu items with two. And they're faster to access.

Drafts

Drafts is a brilliant app with its own deep link system. You don't even need Raycast for this one. Drafts supports URLs like drafts://create for new drafts or drafts://open?uuid=... for specific documents.

Add your most-used Drafts actions to ExtraBar. New Draft, Open Workspace, Run Action — whatever fits your workflow. Remove the default Drafts menu bar icon if you don't need it.

Things 3

Things also has native deep links. things:///add opens a new to-do. things:///show?id=today jumps to your Today list. things:///show?id=anytime opens Anytime.

Build an ExtraBar menu with just the Things views you check daily. Today, Upcoming, and a specific project — that's probably all you need up there.

Spotify (via Raycast)

The Raycast Spotify extension is excellent. Deep links let you play/pause, skip tracks, open specific playlists, or jump to your library. If you're constantly reaching for Spotify controls, add them to ExtraBar. Now playback is one hotkey away.

Finding the Right Display Mode for Your Workflow

ExtraBar's three display modes aren't just preferences — they fit different workflows.

Floating Mode works best if you want your actions visible at all times. The bar sits on your screen (you can position it anywhere) and auto-hides when you don't need it. Great for users who like visual reminders of what's available.

Inline Mode integrates directly with your native macOS menu bar. Your ExtraBar items appear as icons alongside your system icons. This feels native and works well if you only have a handful of actions.

Menu Mode is the minimalist choice. Everything lives under one icon. Click it (or use your hotkey) and navigate with your keyboard or mouse. If you're building a raycast mac command center with 10-20 actions, Menu Mode keeps things tidy. It can run as a floating icon or sit inline in your menu bar — your call.

Most power users land on Menu Mode because it scales. You can keep adding actions without crowding your menu bar.

Your Menu Bar Should Work Like You Do

The default macOS menu bar wasn't built for power users. It was built to show system info and app icons — not to help you take action. Raycast gave you deep links to everything. ExtraBar gives those deep links a permanent home.

Instead of summoning Raycast, typing a command, and scanning results, you press one hotkey and click. Your raycast mac setup becomes faster because you're not searching anymore — you're selecting.

Start with your top five actions. Grab the deep links. Add them to ExtraBar. Remove the menu bar icons you never click. What you'll have left is a menu bar that actually reflects how you work.

ExtraBar is currently €9.99 for lifetime access during launch (until January 31st). One-time payment, all future updates included. If you're ready to turn your raycast mac deep links into a proper command center, grab ExtraBar here.