Always on Top

[anythingwithawire]

crutkas: Should look at #49 also for additional feature implementation idea

And #641 for transparency

[scottven]

If this could be made to survive windows closing and reopening, like the Outlook reminders pop-up, that would be super helpful.

[veree-ozom]

This has been long overdue and should have been standard. Wish this gets implemented.

[bergamin]

This is one of those things I always wondered... Why only task manager has that? Why isn't it standard for every window?

[DarylGraves]

I really hope this is implemented as a default. I might even give it a go myself if I can figure out what I'm doing!

For those who want a workaround, AutoHotKey can do this - You'd need to install AHK, paste the below to a script, save it as an .ahk file and place it in your startup folder. Then, load the script once (or restart) and then whenever you push Ctrl+Alt+A it sticks it. Push it again to unstick.

I hope this because a built in thing though - I can't really install AHK at work.

^!A:: Winset, Alwaysontop, , A
Return

[Sollace]

@anythingwithawire @bergamin brought this issue to my attention. I'm just going to c/p the relevant segments for what I detailed for this request:

How it works:

As I have it at the moment, pressing Ctrl+Space on any desktop window will toggle the always on top state of that window. When that's done, they effectively stay in front, even when focus changes to another window after that.

What it's for:

Doing that allows me to put some content I want to see (a video, browser tab, some instructions, or notes) on my display whilst I work/type into a different window.

When I'm done I just focus my pinned window and use Ctrl+Space to return it to normal.

What I'd change:

Admittedly, the Ctrl+Space key combination is sometimes problematic when gaming, where I might need the same combination for something else. That's why I suggest changing it to some combination with the Win key instead.

Win+Space is (annoying) used to switch keyboard layouts, so it might have to become something like Win+Alt instead.

It would also help, though, to allow the user to configure the shortcut, as well as a visible button to pin/unpin windows similar to the "Maximize to new desktop widget".

[glen-84]

I'm currently using DeskPins, but it's a bit outdated and is not able to pin all types of windows.

[Sollace]

@glen-84 Unfortunately I can't link the tool I use. It's literally just a little 200kb exe I got from somewhere. I run it from my startup folder and it allows the key combination to work on literally any window.

Edit: lmao found it

[User2020]

This has been desperately needed for decades. A new window titlebar button or even if it was just accessible by right-clicking the titlebar. I always have to use utilities to add the ability but they either half-work or don't look good.

[hereafter]

you may try "Sticky Windows" modern fluent app for Windows 10
It is on the windows store,
https://github.com/hereafter/stickywindows/wiki

it not free though.

[fredskis]

Just read about PowerToys and this is definitely something Windows has needed forever.
I used DisplayFusion in the past but it doesn't feel native and doesn't work with 100% of windows.

Might give Sticky Windows a try too.

[LuminarySage]

you may try "Sticky Windows" modern fluent app for Windows 10
It is on the windows store,
https://github.com/hereafter/stickywindows/wiki

it not free though.

What a shameless plug by the dev...
Not to mention that that thing works so inconsistently as well

[DarylGraves]

I feel like, if AutoHotKey can achieve it in 2 lines of code the functionality must already be there in Windows, just hidden away somewhere... Some programs like Skype for Business have the option for it. Maybe it's a registry that gets toggled or something?

[Sollace]

@DarylGraves It's actually an attribute (sometimes called AlwaysOnTop) that can be toggled on and off for a given window.

That feature is actually used a lot for all kinds of windows programs, including media players., so a user-accessible toggle is indeed a very easy thing to do.

[DarylGraves]

@DarylGraves It's actually an attribute (sometimes called AlwaysOnTop) that can be toggled on and off for a given window.

That feature is actually used a lot for all kinds of windows programs, including media players., so a user-accessible toggle is indeed a very easy thing to do.

How do we do it boss? I was trying to see if there was a registry that's toggled or something but couldn't find it.

[Sollace]

@DarylGraves If you're looking for a way to get the feature, see my comment further up the page for a downloadable utility.

From the linked article:

The program is written in Autohotkey with a single line of code:
^SPACE:: Winset, Alwaysontop, , A

It's an attribute, so you literally just need to get a handle onto the window and do some system call to modify its state. Probably would have to be written in WinForms.

[User2020]

I prefer XtraButtons for now, but I wish Windows had this built-in:
http://www.xtrabuttons.com/

[enricogior]

Don't tell anybody... Always On Top will arrive soon ;)

[Sollace]

@enricogior proceeds to tell everyone

[LuminarySage]

Don't tell anybody... Always On Top will arrive soon ;)

@enricogior Subtle...

[crutkas]

Should Always On Top be named "PowerMenu" like the original tool?

[LuminarySage]

I mean, if you intend to add more stuff later on to the menu then yeah

[cheskote]

What I use for this function is a tiny program called TurboTop (Savard Software), from 2016, but still works great.

Maybe you can check it out for inspiration or ideas.

[franky920920]

What I use for this function is a tiny program called TurboTop (Savard Software), from 2016, but still works great.

Maybe you can check it out for inspiration or ideas.

@cheskote Thanks for your advice. We're currently working on this feature in #14360. Hope we can release this soon! 😄

[Jay-o-Way]

I see the (default) hotkey is Ctrl+Space. Found a site that lists about 195 uses in different programs that may use this combination. I predict there will be many issues from people that are surprised that their usual hotkey doesn't work (as expected). Will it be customizable? And should we have the toy off to start with?

[crutkas]

We will not ship with that default key

[fm-sys]

As a workaround, you can use a small helper application called always-on-top.exe, which is a third-party program that allows you to keep windows on top using Ctrl+Space. It's only around 200kB large and seem to run fine in my tests. (No warranty though ;-))

I have it in my autostart and don't want to ever miss it... :)

https://www.labnol.org/software/tutorials/keep-window-always-on-top/5213/
Direct download link: https://www.labnol.org/files/always-on-top.zip

[ghost]

Is there a version of this with a more native looking icon? One with better support for Win10's light and dark themes

[crutkas]

We added in 0.53. Head over to https://aka.ms/installpowertoys to try it out

[ts-mz]

Thanks! Extremely useful! This is probably not a bug and you're aware of it, but just in case: the added window border doesn't have rounded corners on Win 11.

[Aaron-Junker]

Thanks! Extremely useful! This is probably not a bug and you're aware of it, but just in case: the added window border doesn't have rounded corners on Win 11.

We're aware of it. #15284

[orbitaleccentric]

ok...

On a hunch I started Notepad++ as administrator and lo! always on top worked.

I then ran SketchUp as administrator and always on top also worked.

Notepad too.

So does this mean that I have to run all my programs as administrator?

Has this always been the intended behaviour of always on top?

oops! wrong topic