Pin a window
Always on top for Mac
macOS has no always-on-top for ordinary windows. Toplet pins a live view of the window you pick above other apps. Notes, a tutorial, a browser, a terminal, a call. It stays where you can see it.
Why a Mac cannot pin a window
Plenty of Windows apps have Always on Top in the menu. On a Mac, the system gives you two narrow tools:
- Stickies: Window → Float on Top. Only Stickies notes.
- Picture in picture in Safari and a few players. Video only.
A reference next to a draft, a lesson you are following, a chat you need to see: there is no switch. That is the gap an always-on-top app fills.
How Toplet pins a window
- Open Toplet. First launch walks you through Screen Recording and Accessibility.
- Pick a window from the list, or click one on screen.
- The live view stays in front. You keep using other apps.
You can assign a hotkey to pin or unpin the frontmost window, or the one under the pointer. You can pin more than one.
This is a live picture, not a screenshot. If something covers the original window, the pin still updates, except for a few protected windows.
Can I still use it
Yes. Rest the pointer on the pin, or click, and the original window comes forward so you can scroll, click, and type. Move away and it floats again. Settings let you make hover fast, standard, slow, or off (click only).
Turn opacity down if it is in the way. It turns solid when you point at it. Turn on “show on all desktops” if you want it on every Space, including above full-screen apps.
When people pin a window
Follow a tutorial
Keep the lesson on top. Both hands stay on the app you are learning. This is the usual reason someone searches “always on top Mac”.
Notes and references
A script, a formula, a checklist next to the document. No ⌘Tab to find it again.
Only part of a window
Crop a web video, a chart, or a progress bar and park it in a corner. That is picture in picture for any window.
| Built into macOS | Toplet | |
|---|---|---|
| Always on top for any window | No | Yes |
| Stickies Float on Top | Yes | Not limited to Stickies |
| Picture in picture | Some video players | Any window, with crop |
| Use the pinned window | — | Hover or click |
Questions
How do I keep a window always on top on a Mac?
There is no system switch for ordinary windows. Open Toplet, pick a window or press the hotkey.
Can I keep notes on top?
Yes. Pin the notes window. Stickies Float on Top only works for Stickies.
Can I still click and type?
Yes, after you hover or click. Without Accessibility, you can still see the live view, but you cannot operate it.
Does it drain the battery?
Each pinned window captures frames. The rate drops while you interact or when the window is covered. Pinning many windows uses more power. That is normal for this kind of tool.
Toplet is a Mac always-on-top app, not the other companies that show up for the same name. If you wanted a window to stay in front, this is it.