Sometimes you need one line of text to stay in front of you no matter what you're doing: the next step, a phone number you're reading off, the thing you must not forget. A normal note window gets covered the moment you switch apps. FloatyNote stays.
Pin it once, and it floats
Press ⌥⌘P to pin. The note jumps to a floating window level above your normal windows. It joins every Space, so switching desktops doesn't leave it behind, and it stays visible over full-screen apps — handy when you're presenting, writing, or coding full-screen and still want your reminder in view.
Summon and dismiss from anywhere
- ⌥⌘N — show or hide the note from any app, instantly.
- ⌥⌘P — toggle always-on-top (pin / unpin).
- Esc — hide it and hand focus back to what you were doing.
The shortcuts are system-wide and need no accessibility permissions. It lives in the menu bar with no Dock icon, so it stays out of the way until you summon it.
Why "always on top" matters for a handoff note
A note you have to go looking for is a note you'll forget. Keeping it on top — and popping it up automatically when your screen wakes — turns it from passive storage into an active nudge at exactly the moment you'd otherwise drift to the wrong window.
Keep one note on top — free for 14 days
Download FloatyNote and pin your first note in ten seconds.
macOS 12+ · one-time $9 · no account, no cloud
Questions
How do I keep a note always on top on macOS?
macOS has no built-in always-on-top toggle for notes. FloatyNote adds one: press ⌥⌘P to pin the note so it floats above every window, on every Space, including full-screen apps.
Does the note stay on top over full-screen apps?
Yes. When pinned, FloatyNote uses a floating window level with full-screen-auxiliary behaviour, so it stays visible over full-screen apps and follows you to every Space.
Does it need accessibility permissions?
No. FloatyNote needs no accessibility permissions and no network access. The global shortcuts work system-wide out of the box.
Can I turn the always-on-top behaviour off?
Yes. Press ⌥⌘P or use the menu-bar item to unpin. Unpinned, the note behaves like a normal window.