Raycast Calendar 2026: Manage Your Schedule from the Launcher

Switching to your calendar app to check your next meeting is a context switch you don’t need. Raycast lets you view upcoming events, join meetings, and create new calendar entries without ever leaving the launcher. If you’re already using Raycast as your daily driver on macOS, adding calendar management to the mix is one of the highest-value moves you can make.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Raycast’s calendar capabilities in 2026 — from the built-in My Schedule command to the Google Calendar extension, Apple Calendar integration, menu bar events, and quick meeting joins. If you’re brand new to Raycast, start with our setup guide to get the basics in place first.

The Built-in “My Schedule” Command

Raycast ships with a My Schedule command out of the box. No extensions to install, no OAuth to configure. It reads directly from macOS Calendar (the system calendar framework), which means it picks up events from every account you’ve connected in System Settings > Internet Accounts.

To use it, open Raycast and type “My Schedule” or just “schedule”. You’ll see a chronological list of your upcoming events with times, durations, and calendar color indicators. Each event shows:

• Event title and time range
• Calendar name and color dot
• Location or meeting link (if present)
• Attendees count

The key detail here is that My Schedule inherits whatever calendars you’ve set up at the macOS level. If your Google Calendar is synced via Internet Accounts, those events show up. Same for Outlook, iCloud, and any CalDAV-compatible provider. You don’t need to authenticate separately in Raycast.

Google Calendar Extension

If you want deeper Google Calendar integration — beyond what the built-in command offers — the Google Calendar extension from the Raycast Store connects directly to your Google account via OAuth.

What it adds over My Schedule:

• Create events directly from Raycast with title, time, duration, description, and attendees
• Search events across all your Google calendars by keyword
• Edit and delete events without opening the Google Calendar web app
• View multiple calendars with filtering by specific calendar
• Quick RSVP — accept or decline invitations inline

Installation is straightforward. Open Raycast, type “Store,” search for “Google Calendar,” and install it. On first run, it opens a browser window for Google OAuth. Authorize it, and you’re connected. The extension is free — like all extensions in the Raycast Store.

The create-event flow is particularly useful. Instead of opening a browser tab, navigating to Google Calendar, clicking the “+” button, and filling out a form, you type something like “Create Event” in Raycast, fill in the fields inline, and confirm. The whole interaction takes about 10 seconds.

Apple Calendar Integration

If you’re an Apple Calendar user (or you use iCloud as your primary calendar provider), Raycast’s built-in My Schedule command is already reading from Apple Calendar. But there’s also a dedicated Apple Calendar extension in the Store that adds write capabilities.

With the Apple Calendar extension, you can:

• Create new events in any of your Apple Calendar calendars
• View event details including notes and attachments
• Delete events from within Raycast
• Open events directly in the Apple Calendar app for full editing

For most users, the built-in My Schedule command handles reading events, and the Apple Calendar extension fills the gap for creating and managing them. Together, they provide a complete calendar workflow without ever opening the Calendar app.

Joining Meetings with One Keystroke

This is the feature that saves the most cumulative time. When your next event includes a meeting link — Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, or any URL — Raycast detects it and surfaces a “Join Meeting” action.

The workflow looks like this:

1. Open Raycast (Cmd+Space or your configured hotkey)
2. Type “My Schedule” — your next meeting appears at the top
3. Press Enter (or the designated action shortcut) to join the meeting

That’s it. Three keystrokes and you’re in the call. Compare that to the typical flow: open calendar app, find the event, click the event, locate the meeting link in the description or location field, click the link, wait for the browser to redirect to the meeting app. Raycast collapses all of that into a single action.

If you have multiple meetings coming up, you can scroll through the list and join any of them. Raycast is smart about detecting meeting URLs — it recognizes Zoom links (zoom.us/j/...), Google Meet links (meet.google.com/...), Teams links, and generic URLs in the event’s location or description fields.

Upcoming Events in the Menu Bar

Raycast supports menu bar commands that place persistent information in your macOS menu bar. Several calendar extensions offer a menu bar view that shows your next upcoming event (or a countdown to it) at the top of your screen at all times.

This is useful because you don’t even need to invoke Raycast to know what’s coming up. A quick glance at the menu bar tells you “Standup in 12 min” or “1:1 with Sarah @ 2:00 PM.” When the event is imminent, the display updates to show the countdown.

To enable it, look for a “Menu Bar” or “Upcoming Event” command within your installed calendar extension and enable it from the extension’s settings. Some extensions let you customize what information appears — event title only, title + time, countdown format, or which calendars to include.

Creating Events from Natural Language

One of the more powerful patterns is creating calendar events using quick, natural text input. The Google Calendar extension and several third-party calendar extensions support creating events with minimal friction.

Instead of filling out a full form, you can type something like:

• “Team sync tomorrow at 2pm for 30 minutes”
• “Lunch with Mark Friday noon”
• “Deploy review 3/15 at 10am”

The extension parses the text and pre-fills the event form with the extracted date, time, duration, and title. You review, adjust if needed, and confirm. It’s significantly faster than the traditional calendar UI for quick event creation.

If you’re on Raycast Pro, you can pair this with AI Commands to do even more — like drafting event descriptions, summarizing meeting agendas from notes, or generating invite text. See our intro to Raycast for an overview of what the platform can do beyond calendars.

Cron, Notion Calendar, and How Raycast Compares

Cron was a popular keyboard-first calendar app for macOS, beloved by developers for its speed and hotkey-driven navigation. Notion acquired Cron in 2022 and rebranded it as Notion Calendar. It’s still a solid standalone calendar app, but the landscape has shifted.

The key difference: Cron / Notion Calendar is a separate application that you switch to. Raycast’s calendar features are embedded in the launcher you’re already using. If you’re a Raycast user, there’s no additional app to install, no extra window to manage, and no context switch to make.

Here’s how they compare:

Feature	Raycast Calendar	Notion Calendar (Cron)
View upcoming events	Yes (built-in)	Yes
Join meetings quickly	One keystroke from launcher	Click in calendar UI
Create events	Yes (via extensions)	Yes
Week/month view	No (list only)	Yes (full calendar grid)
Availability sharing	No	Yes
Menu bar countdown	Yes	Yes
Keyboard-first	Yes (launcher-native)	Yes
Requires separate app	No	Yes

If you need a full visual calendar with week and month views, availability sharing, or drag-and-drop event rescheduling, Notion Calendar is the better tool. But if you primarily need to check what’s next, join meetings fast, and create events quickly, Raycast handles all of that without adding another app to your workflow.

Calendar Extensions Comparison

The Raycast Store has several calendar-related extensions. Here’s a quick rundown of the most useful ones:

• My Schedule (built-in) — Read-only view of upcoming events from macOS Calendar. No setup required. Best for a quick glance at what’s next.
• Google Calendar — Full read/write access to Google Calendar via OAuth. Create, edit, delete, and search events. Best for Google Workspace users who want complete calendar management in Raycast.
• Apple Calendar — Create and manage events in Apple Calendar. Best for iCloud calendar users who need write access beyond My Schedule.
• Notion Calendar — If you use Notion Calendar (formerly Cron) as your primary calendar app, this extension bridges the two. View events and open them in Notion Calendar.
• Calendar.app Menu Bar — Puts your next event in the macOS menu bar with a countdown timer. Lightweight and useful alongside any calendar setup.

Most developers I know run the built-in My Schedule for quick checks, plus the Google Calendar extension for event creation. That combination covers 95% of calendar needs without ever opening a browser or calendar app. For more on essential Raycast extensions, check out our best Raycast extensions guide.

Productivity Tips for Calendar Management in Raycast

Once you have your calendar connected, here are some tips to get the most out of it:

Assign a hotkey to My Schedule

Go to Raycast Settings > Extensions > My Schedule and assign a direct hotkey (e.g., Ctrl+Shift+C). This lets you check your next event without even opening the Raycast search bar. One keystroke, instant schedule view.

Use Quicklinks for recurring meeting pages

If you have recurring meetings with associated docs (Notion pages, Google Docs, Confluence wikis), create Raycast Quicklinks for them. That way you can jump to the meeting notes and the meeting itself from Raycast, keeping everything accessible from one place.

Combine with Snippets for meeting templates

Create Raycast Snippets for common meeting note templates. When you join a standup, expand a snippet that pre-fills your note with headers like “Yesterday,” “Today,” and “Blockers.” It pairs well with the calendar workflow — join the meeting from Raycast, then expand your note template in your editor.

Set up Do Not Disturb automation

Raycast’s built-in Do Not Disturb toggle can be paired with your calendar to reduce distractions during focus blocks. If you block “deep work” time on your calendar, toggle DND from Raycast when you enter that block to silence notifications without reaching for System Settings.

Getting the Most from Raycast Calendar with Pro

The core calendar features work perfectly on Raycast’s free tier. But Raycast Pro adds a few capabilities that make the calendar workflow even smoother:

• Cloud Sync — Your calendar extension settings, hotkey assignments, and preferences sync across all your Macs. Set up once, available everywhere.
• Raycast AI — Use AI commands to summarize meeting agendas, draft event descriptions, or extract action items from meeting notes.
• Custom Themes — Not directly calendar-related, but if you spend a lot of time in Raycast managing your schedule, a theme that matches your taste makes the experience better.

If you’re already using Raycast daily, Pro is worth trying. You can get 80% off with a free 14-day trial — the discount applies automatically, no coupon code needed. For a detailed breakdown of what you get, see our Raycast Pro review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Raycast have a built-in calendar?

Yes. Raycast includes a built-in “My Schedule” command that shows upcoming events from any calendar connected to macOS Calendar. It reads from Apple Calendar, and since Google Calendar and Outlook can sync to Apple Calendar via Internet Accounts, your events from those providers appear automatically — no extra extension needed.

How do I connect Google Calendar to Raycast?

There are two ways. First, add your Google account in macOS System Settings > Internet Accounts, enable Calendars, and Raycast’s built-in My Schedule command will pick up your Google Calendar events automatically. Second, install the dedicated Google Calendar extension from the Raycast Store, which connects directly via OAuth and offers additional features like creating events and searching across calendars.

Can I join Zoom or Google Meet calls from Raycast?

Yes. When an upcoming event includes a meeting link (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.), Raycast detects it and shows a “Join Meeting” action. Press Enter or the designated keyboard shortcut to open the meeting link directly — no need to find the calendar invite, locate the link, and click it manually.

What happened to Cron calendar app?

Cron was a standalone calendar app for macOS that was acquired by Notion in 2022 and rebranded as Notion Calendar. While Cron was popular among developers for its keyboard-first design, Raycast’s built-in calendar features and extensions now provide similar quick-access calendar functionality directly from the launcher without needing a separate app.

Is the Raycast calendar feature free or do I need Pro?

The built-in My Schedule command and all calendar extensions from the Raycast Store are free to use. Raycast Pro adds benefits like Cloud Sync (keeping calendar extension settings synced across Macs), AI features for drafting event descriptions, and enhanced menu bar capabilities — but the core calendar functionality works on the free tier.