Windows Environment Variables
A keyboard-first alternative to the Windows Environment Variables dialog. Browse, search, edit, create, and delete Windows environment variables and PATH entries directly from Raycast.
Features
- List & Search — View all User and System environment variables with instant search across names and values
- Edit PATH — Dedicated PATH editor with drag-to-reorder, existence validation, and duplicate detection
- Add Variables — Create new environment variables with scope selection (User or System)
- Copy Actions — Copy variable name, value, or
set command format
- Live Updates — Broadcasts
WM_SETTINGCHANGE after every modification so all running apps see changes immediately
- Safety First — Protected variable detection, confirmation dialogs for destructive actions, PATH backups before modifications
Commands
| Command | Description | Shortcut |
|---|
| List Environment Variables | Browse and manage all env vars | — |
| Edit PATH Variable | Dedicated PATH entry editor | — |
| Add Environment Variable | Create a new variable | — |
Keyboard Shortcuts
List Environment Variables
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Copy Value | ↵ |
| Copy Name | ⌘⇧C |
| Copy as SET | ⌘⇧E |
| Edit Variable | ⌘E |
| Edit in PATH Editor | ⌘P |
| Open System Dialog | ⌘O |
| Add New Variable | ⌘N |
| Delete Variable | ⌃X |
| Refresh | ⌘R |
Edit PATH Variable
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|
| Copy Path | ↵ |
| Open in Explorer | ⌘O |
| Move Up | ⌘↑ |
| Move Down | ⌘↓ |
| Add New Entry | ⌘N |
| Remove Entry | ⌃X |
| Refresh | ⌘R |
Permissions
- User variables: No special permissions required
- System variables: Requires administrator elevation (UAC prompt will appear)
Safety
- Protected system variables (PATH, COMSPEC, SYSTEMROOT, etc.) cannot be deleted
- Variables matching sensitive patterns (KEY, TOKEN, SECRET, etc.) are partially masked in the detail view
- PATH is backed up to local storage before each modification
- All destructive actions require confirmation
- PowerShell commands use
-EncodedCommand (base64 UTF-16LE) to prevent injection
Platform
Windows only. Requires PowerShell (included with Windows).
