How to keep any window always on top in Windows 11 and 10

A video call next to your notes, a calculator over a spreadsheet, a chat window that should not vanish behind your browser — keeping one window above all others is one of the most requested Windows features. Below you will find every practical way to do it, from tools you already have to a dedicated app.

Does Windows have a built-in always-on-top option?

Not for every window. Neither Windows 11 nor Windows 10 has a universal “always on top” command in the title bar or the window menu. A few apps have their own option, though:

• Task Manager — in Windows 11 open Settings in Task Manager and tick Always on top; in Windows 10 it is under Options → Always on top.
• Calculator — in Standard mode click the Keep on top button next to the mode name for a compact floating calculator.
• VLC media player — Video → Always on top.
• Web browsers — Chrome, Edge and Firefox can pop a web video out into a floating Picture-in-Picture window.

For anything else — a document, a terminal, a chat, a remote desktop or a game window — you need one of the methods below.

Method 1: Microsoft PowerToys (free)

PowerToys is a free collection of utilities from Microsoft. One of them, Always On Top, pins the active window with a keyboard shortcut.

1. Install Microsoft PowerToys from Microsoft Store or from its GitHub page.
2. Open PowerToys, select Always On Top in the left menu and make sure it is turned on.
3. Click the window you want to pin and press Win + Ctrl + T. A coloured border shows that the window is pinned.
4. Press the same shortcut again to unpin it.

Good to know: PowerToys is a large suite that keeps a background process running, and pinning works only from the keyboard. There is no per-window transparency or click-through. To pin windows of apps that run as administrator, PowerToys has to run as administrator too.

Method 2: An AutoHotkey script (free)

If you like to tinker, AutoHotkey can toggle “always on top” with a shortcut of your choice in a single line of code.

1. Install AutoHotkey v2 from autohotkey.com.
2. Right-click the desktop, choose New → AutoHotkey Script, name it e.g. OnTop.ahk and open it in Notepad.
3. Paste this line and save the file:

^!t::WinSetAlwaysOnTop -1, "A"

Double-click the script to run it. Now Ctrl + Alt + T pins the active window and unpins it on the second press. To start the script with Windows, put a shortcut to it in the folder that opens when you type shell:startup in the Run dialog (Win + R).

Good to know: there is no visual sign of which windows are pinned, so it is easy to forget. Transparency, click-through and similar extras each need more scripting.

Method 3: StayOnTop — a pin on every title bar

StayOnTop is our own app, built for exactly this job. It adds a small pin button to the title bar of every window, so pinning is always one click away — no shortcut to remember.

1. Install StayOnTop from Microsoft Store (7 days free, then a one-time payment).
2. A pin appears on the title bar of your windows. Click it and the window stays above all others.
3. Click the pin again to unpin — or use Ctrl + Alt + P from the keyboard.
4. Right-click the pin to open a menu with every feature for that window.

Beyond pinning, StayOnTop handles the things people usually want next:

• Transparency — scroll the mouse wheel over the pin to fade the window; ghost mode fades it only while you work elsewhere.
• Click-through — see the window but click the app underneath (emergency off: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + C).
• Live previews — picture-in-picture for any window or just part of it, e.g. a render’s progress bar in a corner.
• Focus mode, window layouts and per-app rules — dim everything else, restore your workspace in one click, always pin a chosen app.

It is a native C++ app of about 2.6 MB that uses around 30 MB of memory, needs no administrator rights and has no network features at all.

Which method should you choose?

Pin something occasionally and do not mind shortcuts? PowerToys is a solid free choice. Like scripting? AutoHotkey gives you full control. Pin windows every day, want to see at a glance what is pinned, or need transparency and picture-in-picture? StayOnTop is the most convenient.

Window won’t stay on top? Common fixes

• The app runs as administrator. Windows does not let normal apps control windows of elevated apps. Either run the app normally or run your pinning tool as administrator too.
• A full-screen game. Exclusive full-screen mode takes over the display. Switch the game to borderless or windowed mode.
• Two pinned windows overlap. Among pinned windows, the one you clicked last is on top. Click the one you want in front.
• System overlays. Start, the notification centre and some system dialogs still appear above pinned windows — that is by design.

Frequently asked questions