“Always on Top” is a software feature that pins a specific window to the foreground, ensuring it stays completely visible even when you click on or interact with other applications underneath it. It is a massive productivity booster for multitasking, especially when you need to reference data, watch a tutorial, or monitor a chat while working in another program.
How you use it depends entirely on your operating system and the software you are running. Windows 11 & 10
Windows does not have a universal “Always on Top” keyboard shortcut out of the box, but Microsoft provides an official solution through their free power-user toolkit.
Microsoft PowerToys: Download Microsoft PowerToys directly from the official Microsoft site. Once enabled, click on any window and press Win + Ctrl + T. The pinned window will display a colored border and play a sound to confirm it is locked to the top. Press the shortcut again to unpin it.
Built-in App Settings: Several standard Windows applications have this feature hardcoded into their settings. For example, in the Windows Task Manager, click the Settings (gear icon) at the bottom left and check “Always on top” under the Window Management section.
Third-Party Media Tools: Popular programs like VLC Media Player allow this natively by clicking Video > Always on top from the top menu bar.
Most Linux desktop environments (like GNOME, KDE Plasma, and XFCE) have this functionality built right into the core system window manager.
PowerToys Always On Top Utility for Windows – Microsoft Learn
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