How to Keep Any Window Always on Top on Mac [2026 Guide]

macOS does not provide a system-wide Always on Top setting for ordinary application windows. Depending on what you need, you can use a dedicated window utility, an automation tool, or Picture-in-Picture. This guide covers the main ways to keep a window on top on Mac and explains when each method makes sense.

Does Mac Have a Built-In Always-on-Top Feature?

No. macOS has no general Always on Top option for ordinary application windows: there is no menu item, System Settings toggle, or built-in shortcut that keeps a normal window above the others. If you want Finder, Notes, or a browser window to stay in front, the operating system gives you no native switch for it.

A few macOS features look similar, but they solve a different problem. Picture-in-Picture lifts a video into a small floating window above other windows — but only for supported video players, not for arbitrary app windows. Full Screen gives one app its own Space and hides everything else, which is the opposite of keeping a second window reachable. Split View pairs two windows side by side inside a full-screen Space, so both are visible but neither one floats above the other. Spaces divide your desktop into separate workspaces, so switching workspaces still moves windows out of view.

If you want to keep any normal application window above other windows, you need a third-party utility or an automation solution. TopWindow was built for exactly that job — see TopWindow’s Always on Top feature.

6 Ways to Keep a Window Always on Top on Mac

Because there is no built-in switch, the right method depends on which window you want to keep visible and how much setup you are willing to do. These are the six approaches most Mac users end up choosing.

1. Use TopWindow

TopWindow is a lightweight Mac app built for one job: keeping a selected application window above other windows while you continue working in other apps.

1. Install TopWindow.
2. Open the app.
3. Select the window you want to keep on top.
4. Press ⌘⇧P.
5. The selected window stays above other windows.

Useful next steps: read more about TopWindow’s Always on Top feature, learn the TopWindow keyboard shortcut, or download TopWindow and try it on your own windows.

2. Use BetterTouchTool

BetterTouchTool is a general macOS automation and customization tool: it handles trackpad gestures, keyboard shortcuts, window snapping, and hundreds of other actions. Recent versions also include a Pin/Unpin Focused Window to Float on Top action that you bind to a gesture or shortcut like any other BetterTouchTool trigger.

• What it is good at: if BetterTouchTool already runs your shortcuts and gestures, floating windows live in the same place as the rest of your setup.
• What to expect: it is a general-purpose automation tool rather than a dedicated always-on-top app, so the feature has to be configured first, and the floating-window behaviour is still evolving in the project’s own release notes. DRM-protected video windows cannot be treated this way.
• Good fit for: users who already rely on BetterTouchTool and want one more action in an existing workflow.

3. Use Hammerspoon

Hammerspoon is a free, open-source automation tool that exposes macOS APIs through Lua scripts. It can inspect windows, move them, and run logic on events, which makes it attractive if you script your Mac already.

• The catch: Hammerspoon’s window API has no built-in always-on-top function — it is a long-standing feature request — so keeping a window above others requires a community script that changes the window level through macOS Accessibility APIs.
• Setup: install Hammerspoon, grant Accessibility permission, then write or paste a Lua snippet into your config and maintain it across macOS updates.
• Good fit for: advanced users who prefer a scriptable setup over an extra purpose-built app.

4. Use Picture-in-Picture

Picture-in-Picture is not the same as Always on Top. It lifts a video out of its player into a small floating window that stays above other windows, and it stops there.

• Works with: YouTube in Safari or Chrome, video course platforms, and most HTML5 video players.
• Does not work with: Finder, Notes, Calculator, a regular web page, or any app window that is not a video player.

If you need the whole browser window — tabs, address bar, and page content — to stay visible, Picture-in-Picture will not do it. Use a window utility instead.

5. Use Full Screen / Split View

Full Screen and Split View help you organize windows, but they do not make one normal application window stay above all other windows.

• Full Screen moves one app into its own Space and hides the rest of your desktop, so nothing else stays visible.
• Split View puts two windows side by side inside a full-screen Space. Both are visible, but neither floats above anything, and the rest of your windows are still out of reach.

Window organization is not the same thing as Always on Top. These modes are useful when you want fewer windows on screen, not when you want one specific window to stay reachable while you work somewhere else.

6. Use Other Window Management Apps

Beyond the options above, Mac window tools fall into three broad categories:

• Dedicated window utilities built specifically for always-on-top windows.
• General window managers for tiling and snapping, where keeping a window on top is one feature among many.
• Keyboard automation tools that bind shortcuts to window actions.

The practical difference is how much setup you accept and how closely the tool targets this single problem. If you want to compare Mac window tools, the comparison page breaks down the options feature by feature.

How to Pin a Window on Top with TopWindow

The steps below use TopWindow’s default settings, and the whole flow takes under a minute.

Step 1: Install TopWindow

Download TopWindow as a DMG, open it, drag TopWindow into your Applications folder, and launch it. The build supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Step 2: Grant Required Permissions

On first launch macOS asks for two permissions: Accessibility, which lets TopWindow detect and activate the window you select, and Screen Recording, which lets it display a live copy of that window above the others. Both are used only for pinning, and capture stays on your Mac. You can review them later in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and Screen Recording.

Step 3: Select the Window

Click the window you want to keep visible — a Notes window while you write, a browser window with a tutorial video, a terminal while you monitor a build, or a calculator while you enter data.

Step 4: Press ⌘⇧P

Press ⌘⇧P to toggle Always on Top for the selected window. The window stays above the others while you click, type, and switch apps behind it. TopWindow also has a menu bar icon if you would rather click, and every hotkey can be changed in Shortcuts Settings — see the TopWindow keyboard shortcut guide.

Step 5: Unpin the Window

Press ⌘⇧U to unpin the window, or ⌘⇧T to toggle the current window on and off. To clear every pinned window at once, use ⌘⇧A. The menu bar icon offers the same actions if you prefer clicking.

How to Keep a Window on Top While Using Other Apps

Always on Top earns its place in ordinary workflows: you need one window visible while you type, read, or calculate somewhere else. These are the cases Mac users hit most often, and the same steps apply to all of them: select the window and press ⌘⇧P.

Keep YouTube on Top

Two different outcomes depending on what you want to keep visible. For the video only, Picture-in-Picture is enough: start playback and use the player’s PiP button. For the full browser window — tabs, comments, playlist, and the rest of the page — use an always-on-top utility such as TopWindow’s Always on Top feature and press ⌘⇧P on the browser window.

Keep a Browser Window on Top

Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge windows are ordinary app windows, so a window utility treats them like any other application. Pin the browser window when you follow a tutorial, keep a webinar or dashboard visible, or compare two pages side by side. If only the video needs to float, use Picture-in-Picture instead.

Keep Notes on Top

Typical cases: checking documentation while programming, reading source material while studying, keeping a task list visible while you work, or transcribing a call. Pin one Notes window and keep typing in the app behind it — the note stays in view, and a single shortcut returns it to normal behaviour.

Keep a Calculator on Top

Data entry, spreadsheet work, and quick financial checks all need the same thing: numbers visible while you type into another window. Pin the Calculator (or a spreadsheet used as one) and you stop switching back and forth between apps just to read a value.

Always on Top vs Picture-in-Picture vs Split View

Only an always-on-top utility keeps an arbitrary app window above the others. Picture-in-Picture is limited to video players, and Split View divides the screen instead of stacking windows.

Common Problems With Always-on-Top Windows

Does Always on Top Work in Full Screen?

Always on Top and Full Screen are different mechanisms. A full-screen app moves into its own Space and takes over the display, so whether a pinned window stays visible depends on the utility and the macOS version — some tools can draw above full-screen apps, others cannot. If a pinned window matters during full-screen sessions, test it with your exact setup before relying on it.

Does It Work Across Spaces?

Spaces and window level are not the same concept. A pinned window keeps its position relative to the other windows in the Space where you pinned it. What happens when you move between Spaces depends on macOS and on the tool you use, so if a pinned window has to follow you across workspaces, verify the behaviour on your own machine before you depend on it.

Why Does the Window Disappear?

A pinned window can drop out of view for several reasons:

• Full-screen or Spaces changes moved the window into another Space, or a full-screen app took over the display.
• Missing permissions after a macOS update or a privacy reset — check System Settings → Privacy & Security for Accessibility and Screen Recording.
• The app replaced its own window — a new window is a new target, so pin it again.
• Protected content such as DRM video cannot always be captured and re-displayed by utilities.
• The window was closed or the app quit, so there is nothing left to keep on top.

Does macOS Support Always on Top Natively?

macOS does not provide a general system-wide Always on Top setting for ordinary application windows. For anything beyond video playback you need a utility — TopWindow adds the missing toggle with one shortcut.