How to keep a window always on top on a Mac
macOS has no always on top button, but there are ways: Picture in Picture, apps with a float setting, and Stickies. What works, and what to do instead.
macOS has no built in way to pin any window on top of the others. Some kinds of window can float, though, and for most reasons people want this, one of them does the job.
Ways that work without extra apps
- Videos: Picture in Picture. Safari, Chrome, Firefox and FaceTime can pop a video into a small window that stays above everything. See Picture in Picture on Mac.
- QuickTime Player: View, Float on Top keeps the video window above other windows.
- Stickies: Window, Float on Top keeps a note in front.
- Apps with their own setting: many media players, timers and reference apps offer a Float on Top or Keep on Top option in their View or Window menu.
Why you might not need it
People usually want a window on top because it keeps getting buried: a call, a reference doc, a chat. The window is not the problem; overlapping is.
With ClutterFreeMac nothing overlaps: every window sits beside the others on a strip, so the call or the reference is always next to what you are working on, never under it. Put it in a column of its own and make it narrow with ⌃ ⌥ R, so it takes a slice of the screen and stays there while you work.
Floating windows sit outside the strip. In ClutterFreeMac, Settings, Apps, set an app to Always float to leave it free to sit wherever you put it.
Questions
Is there an always on top option on Mac?
Not for every window. Picture in Picture keeps videos on top, and some apps such as QuickTime Player and Stickies have Float on Top in their menus.
How do I keep a video on top of other windows on a Mac?
Use Picture in Picture. In Safari or Chrome, right click the video (twice on YouTube) and choose Picture in Picture.
Read next
- Guide
How to group windows on a Mac
Keep related windows together so they move as one: Stage Manager groups, app tabs, Spaces, and stacked or tabbed columns that share one place on screen.
Read › - Guide
How to make an app always open on the same desktop on a Mac
Pin an app to one desktop, every desktop, or a specific display with the Dock's Assign To option. Where it is, what each choice does, and its limits.
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How to keep a window on every desktop on a Mac
Make an app follow you to every Space with Assign To All Desktops. How to set it, which apps it suits, and why it applies to the app rather than one window.
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