AlwaysOnTop

May 31, 2025 ยท View on GitHub

macOS 13.0+ Swift 5.5+ License GitHub Stars

๐Ÿš€ Keep your most important app always visible on macOS

A lightweight, elegant macOS application that pins any window to stay on top of all other windows with a simple keyboard shortcut.

โœจ Features

Core Functionality

  • One-Click Window Pinning: Pin any application window to stay always on top
  • Smart App Selection: Beautiful popup interface to choose which app to pin
  • Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts: Set your preferred hotkey combination for quick pin/unpin
  • Menu Bar Integration: Convenient access from your menu bar

๐Ÿ“‹ Requirements

  • macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
  • Accessibility permissions (for window management)
  • Approximately 5MB disk space

๐Ÿš€ Installation

Download and Install

  1. Download the latest release: AlwaysOnTop v1.0.0
  2. Open the downloaded DMG file
  3. Drag AlwaysOnTop to your Applications folder to complete the installation

Important Security Notice for macOS Users

When you first attempt to open AlwaysOnTop, macOS may display a warning message stating that the app "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer" or that it "may damage your computer." This is a normal security response and does not indicate any actual threat.

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/AlwaysOnTop.app

Method 2: Using System Preferences

  1. Go to System Preferences โ†’ Privacy & Security
  2. Scroll down to find the blocked AlwaysOnTop app
  3. Click "Open Anyway" next to the AlwaysOnTop entry
  4. Confirm by clicking "Open" in the dialog that appears

Grant Accessibility Permissions

For AlwaysOnTop to manage windows, you need to grant Accessibility permissions:

  1. Open System Preferences โ†’ Privacy & Security โ†’ Accessibility
  2. Click the ๐Ÿ”’ lock icon and enter your password
  3. Click "+" and add AlwaysOnTop from your Applications folder
  4. Ensure the checkbox next to AlwaysOnTop is checked
  5. Restart AlwaysOnTop if it was already running

How to Use AlwaysOnTop

Quick Start

  1. Launch AlwaysOnTop - It will appear in your menu bar with a pin icon
  2. **Now open preference using the menubar icon"
  3. Press the keyboard shortcut (default: ctrl + Z) or (ctrl + A) to open app selection now close the preperence.
  4. Choose an app press the shortcut and the popup interface will apear clik on any app
  5. Selected app window is now pinned! It will stay on top of all other windows
  6. Unpin press the press the shortcut again and the app will be unpinned.
  7. Note suppose you opened the popup and dont want to pin any app then simply use the same shortcut to dismiss it.
  8. Persist Last Pinned App: Toggle whether to remember pinned windows across app restarts
  • Select Application: Choose which app to pin from a submenu
  • Toggle Window Pin: Pin or unpin the currently selected app
  • Preferences: Access settings and customization options
  • Refresh Applications: Update the list of running apps

Startup Settings

  • Launch at Login: Automatically start AlwaysOnTop when you log in to macOS
  • App Persistence: Remember and restore your last pinned app after restart

๐ŸŽจ Appearance Customization

  • Theme Modes: Choose between Light, Dark, or Auto (follows system preference)
  • Accent Colors: Select from multiple color options to personalize your experience
  • Modern UI: All interface elements respect your theme and color choices

๐Ÿค Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

  1. โญ Star this repository to show your support
  2. ๐Ÿ› Report bugs by creating detailed GitHub issues
  3. ๐Ÿ’ก Suggest features through GitHub discussions
  4. ๐Ÿ”ง Submit pull requests for bug fixes or improvements

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/itsabhishekolkha/AlwaysOnTop.git
cd AlwaysOnTop
open AlwaysOnTop.xcodeproj

๐Ÿ’ Support This Project

If AlwaysOnTop has improved your workflow, consider supporting its development:

Buy Me A Coffee PayPal GitHub Sponsors

Your support helps maintain and improve AlwaysOnTop for everyone! ๐Ÿš€

Other Ways to Support

  • โญ Star this repository on GitHub

๐Ÿ“„ License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.


Made with โค๏ธ by Abhishek Olkha

โญ Don't forget to star this repository if you found it helpful!