How to pin a window on top windows 10

When working with multiple windows in Windows 10, you might want to keep a window always on top for easy reference. Learn three different ways of accomplishing this.

When you are working in Windows with limited screen space, it’s useful to have certain windows stay on top of others. Some programs in Windows automatically incorporate this “always on top” feature, but most programs don’t, and Windows doesn’t include this feature either.

Today we’ll cover three ways to easily add the “always on top” feature to every single program in Windows.

1. Use a Keyboard Shortcut with an Always on Top AutoHotkey Script

AutoHotkey is a free program that allows you to create scripts to perform multiple actions with a single keyboard shortcut. It runs in the background and sits in the system tray.

We’re going to use AutoHotkey to create a script that will keep a selected window on top of all others when you press Ctrl + Spacebar when that window is active. We’ll show you the script and explain how it works. But we’ll also provide a downloadable AutoHotkey script file you can use.

Download and install AutoHotkey and then run it.

Download the AlwaysOnTop.ahk script file, extract the .zip file, and put the script in a folder on your hard drive that won’t be moved or deleted.

The script contains some comments and then the following command:

^SPACE::  Winset, Alwaysontop, , A

This command sets the currently active window to always be on top when you press Ctrl + Spacebar. If you’d rather use a different key combination, you can change the first part of the command, “SPACE“. The “” character represents the Ctrl key. You’ll find the symbols to use for other hotkeys in the Hotkey Modifier Symbols section on this AutoHotkey help page.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

You can put the script in the Windows startup folder (%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup), so it starts automatically when Windows starts.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

The AutoHotkey script stays in the system tray.

To make the active window always on top, press Ctrl + Spacebar (or the keyboard shortcut you assigned). Press the keyboard shortcut again to disable “always on top” for the active window.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

For script options, right-click on the AutoHotkey icon in the system tray.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

2. Use Your Mouse with DeskPins

DeskPins provides pins you can grab and use to keep any window on top of all other windows. The program sits in the system tray and uses minimal resources.

Download and install DeskPins. Run the program, right-click the icon in the system tray, and select Options to change the Pins, Autopin, and Hotkeys settings.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

On the Pins tab, you can change the color of the pins. The Tracking rate controls how often each pin checks the pinned window’s position and state. Lower values make the pins more responsive. You can enter any number from 10 to 1000 msec (milliseconds).

If you have an older computer, you may want to increase the Tracking rate number to avoid slowing down your computer.

You can also choose Single click or Double click under Tray Icon Activation to indicate how you get pins from the DeskPins system tray icon. The default is Single click.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

You can have DeskPins automatically pin certain types of windows using rules on the Autopin tab.

Check the Enable box and then click Add to add a new rule. Use the checkboxes next to the rules to enable and disable individual rules.

Click Help to access the DeskPins help file for more information about automatically pinning windows.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

DeskPins provides default shortcuts for entering pin mode and toggling the active window pin. You can change these shortcuts on the Hotkeys tab.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

To pin a window on top, click (or double-click, depending on the setting) the DeskPins icon in the system tray.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

Then, click the title bar on the window you want to keep always on top.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

A pin displays on the title bar of the chosen window in the color you specified, or in the default color red.

Click the pin again to disable always on top for the window.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

3. Use a System Tray Menu with TurboTop

TurboTop also sits in your system tray like DeskPins. But it operates differently.

Download and install TurboTop. Then, run the program.

To keep a window always on top, click the TurboTop icon in the system tray. A list of all open windows displays. Select the title of the window you want.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

Any windows you choose to be always on top are indicated with a checkmark on the TurboTop menu.

To stop keeping a window always on top, click the TurboTop icon in the system tray and select that window again, so there’s no checkmark next to the window name on the menu.

How to pin a window on top windows 10

Bring the Always-on-Top Feature to All Windows

Whether you like using keyboard shortcuts or prefer using the mouse, there’s an easy solution for keeping windows always on top. If you’ve found other options for keeping windows always on top, let us know in the comments.

How do you set any window always on top in Windows 10?

You can now press Ctrl+Space to set any currently active window to be always on top. Press Ctrl+Space again set the window to no longer be always on top.

How do you lock a window position in Windows 10?

To lock the window size, right-click in the upper-left corner of the app or program window and select 'Size'. Place the window in the desired location. To lock the location of the app or program window, right-click it again in the upper-left corner, then select 'Move'.

How do you make something always on top?

When you activate Always On Top (default: ⊞ Win + Ctrl + T ), the utility pins the active window above all other windows. The pinned window stays on top, even when you select other windows.

Can you PIN a chrome window on top?

Here's how you can use DeskPins: After downloading and installing DeskPins, you will see the DeskPins icon appear in the system tray. Your cursor will change into a pin once you click on it. You can then pin your Chrome window using this pin.