How to Keep a Window on Top on Mac (Always on Top)

To keep a window on top on a Mac, you need an app that can float its own windows, because macOS has no system-wide "always on top" setting. For a video, use Picture in Picture. For a short note, open Stickies and choose Window > Float on Top. For a movie in QuickTime Player, choose View > Float on Top. For any other app, look in its View or Window menu. If there is no float option there, you need a third-party utility.

The sections below cover each option, what it can't do, and what to check when a pinned window disappears.

Why macOS has no "always on top" for every window

On a Mac, each app decides whether its own windows float above other windows. Picture in Picture and Stickies work that way. macOS gives you no control to make another app's window float: no menu item, no keyboard shortcut and no setting in System Settings or Terminal.

That leaves three routes:

• Use an app that has its own pin or "float" option.
• Use Picture in Picture if the thing you want to keep visible is a video.
• Install a utility that adds a pin to other apps' windows.

If you only need to see two windows at once, you may not need a pin at all. The built-in layout options are covered further down.

Keep a window on top with an app's own Float on Top option

Some apps can float their own windows. The menu item is usually called Float on Top, Always on Top or Keep on Top, and it is normally in the app's View or Window menu. Check those two menus first in any app you want to pin.

Stickies (built into macOS)

Stickies is the quickest free way to keep a short note on screen.

1. Open Stickies from the Applications folder, or find it with Spotlight (⌘Space, Command-Space).
2. Click the note you want to keep visible.
3. Choose Window > Float on Top.

The setting applies to one note at a time, so repeat the steps for each note you want to float. Notes are visible only while Stickies is open. If you quit Stickies, the floating notes disappear with it. Apple's Stickies user guide covers the rest of the app.

QuickTime Player (built into macOS)

1. Open the video or audio file in QuickTime Player.
2. Choose View > Float on Top.

The player window now stays above your other windows. Choose the same menu item again to turn it off.

Other apps

Some video players, calculators and note apps include a float option. If you can't find one in the View or Window menu or in the app's settings, the app can't do it by itself. Use Picture in Picture (for video), tile the windows, or try a utility.

Use Picture in Picture for video

Picture in Picture (PiP) moves a video into a small floating window that stays above every other window. You can drag it toward a corner and resize it by dragging its edge. It is the best built-in option for following a tutorial or a stream while you work in another app.

In Safari

1. Start playing the video.
2. If the player shows a Picture in Picture button, click it.
3. If it doesn't, Control-click the sound icon that appears in the tab or address field while the video plays, then choose Enter Picture in Picture if Safari offers it.

On YouTube in Safari, you can also right-click the video twice. The second right-click opens Safari's own menu, which includes Enter Picture in Picture.

In other browsers and apps

Some video players and sites show a Picture in Picture button in their controls. Whether it appears depends on the site and the browser, and some sites turn it off.

What PiP can't do: it only works with video. You can't use it to pin a document, a chat window or an ordinary web page.

Built-in options when you just need two windows visible

Often a pin is a workaround for "I need to see this while I type over there." macOS can do that without anything floating:

• Tile two windows side by side. Hover over the green button at the top-left of a window and pick a left or right tile option, then put your second window in the other half. The options and their labels differ between macOS 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia and 26 Tahoe, but the green button is the starting point in all three.
• Stage Manager. Turn it on in Control Center, or open System Settings and search for "Stage Manager". Your current window stays in the center and recent apps wait at the side, one click away.
• Show an app on every desktop. If you use more than one desktop and a window keeps vanishing when you switch, Control-click the app's icon in the Dock and choose Options > All Desktops. The window then appears on every desktop. It still won't sit above other windows.

Third-party utilities that pin any window

Small utilities, usually menu bar apps, can pin a window from an app that has no float option of its own. Because macOS offers no official way to do this, these tools work around the system, and a major macOS update can break them.

Before you install one, check:

• macOS support. The developer should say the tool works on your version, whether that is macOS 14, 15 or 26.
• Recent updates. A tool that hasn't been updated in years is likely to stop working after a macOS upgrade.
• Permissions. See what it asks for, such as Accessibility, and whether the developer explains why.
• Security settings. If the instructions ask you to turn off System Integrity Protection (SIP) or Gatekeeper, don't use that tool. Pinning a window is not worth weakening your Mac's security.

There are also apps that show a single web page in a small floating window. If the thing you want to pin is a dashboard or other page in a browser, look for that kind of app.

Pin a notes window with Gubb

If what you want on screen is a scratchpad, such as a checklist, a phone number or meeting notes, a notes app with its own pin saves you from installing a utility. We make Gubb, a small notes app with a Pin window on top button.

1. Move the pointer to the right edge of the Gubb note to show the button column.
2. Click Pin window on top. The pin icon tilts and turns your theme's accent color.
3. To stop pinning, click the same button again. Its tooltip now reads Unpin window.

Gubb remembers the pin between launches, so the window opens pinned next time. The window is resizable, so you can make it small enough to sit in a corner. Left-clicking the Gubb icon in the menu bar shows or hides the window.

A pinned note is most useful for things you check while working: a checklist started by typing [ ] and a space, a to-do list made with gubb@todo, or quick sums with gubb@math. The Gubb help center covers the editor.

What it can't do:

• Gubb pins only its own window. It can't pin Safari, Finder or any other app.
• Gubb has no global keyboard shortcut to bring the window forward from another app. Use the menu bar icon or the Dock icon.

The Mac download from gubb.net comes with a 7-day free trial.

Which method to use

If the window doesn't stay on top

• No Float on Top item in the menu. The app doesn't offer one. Use Picture in Picture for video, tile the two windows, or try a utility.
• The Picture in Picture button is missing. The site may have turned PiP off, or the browser doesn't show it for that player. In Safari, try Control-clicking the sound icon. If PiP still isn't offered, the site blocks it.
• The pinned window disappears when you switch to a full-screen app. A full-screen app gets its own space, and floating windows from other apps don't follow it there. Move the pointer to the top of the screen, click the green button to leave full screen, and tile the windows instead.
• Floating Stickies notes vanished. Stickies was quit. Open it again; your notes are saved automatically.
• The Gubb pin turned itself off. If you use Gubb's break reminders, the window goes full screen during each break and "always on top" is switched off afterward. Click Pin window on top again.
• A pinning utility stopped working after a macOS update. Check the developer's site for an update. Then open System Settings, search for "Accessibility" and make sure the utility is still allowed.

FAQ

Is there a keyboard shortcut to keep a window on top on Mac?

No. macOS has no built-in shortcut for this. Some apps and utilities add their own shortcut for their float option.

Can I keep a Chrome or Safari window always on top?

Not with built-in tools, except for video through Picture in Picture. For a whole browser window, you need a third-party utility.

Does Stage Manager keep a window on top?

No. It keeps one window in the center and groups the others at the side, but nothing floats above other apps.

How do I do this on Windows?

The options are different there. See our guide to keeping a window on top in Windows. If all you want is a note that stays visible, our roundup of sticky notes apps for Mac compares the choices.