How to use Stickies on a Mac
- Open Stickies. Find it in Applications, or press ⌘ Space and type "Stickies". A few sample notes appear on first launch — close them.
- Create a note. Choose File → New Note or press ⌘N, then just type. Notes save automatically and come back after a restart.
- Keep it on top. Click the note, then choose Window → Float on Top. That note now floats over your other windows. Window → Translucent makes it see-through so it's less in the way.
- Style it. The Color menu changes the note's colour, Font → Show Fonts changes the type, and double-clicking the title bar collapses a note to a single line.
Putting a note on your desktop with widgets
Since macOS Sonoma you can also pin notes to the desktop itself: right-click the desktop, choose Edit Widgets, and drag the Notes widget out. It shows one note or folder from the Notes app and updates as you edit it there.
Where built-in sticky notes fall short
Both options work until you actually start working. A sticky note only does its job if you see it — the paper kind works because it's stuck to your monitor, in the way, impossible to miss. On the Mac:
- Widgets and regular Stickies live behind your windows. Open a browser and they're gone until you go looking.
- Float on Top is per note, and easy to lose. You set it on each note separately, and floating notes disappear when you switch to a full-screen app.
- Nothing brings the note back. When you open your Mac in the morning, your note doesn't come to the front — whatever window was open does.
- Notes multiply. A desktop full of sticky notes quickly becomes a pile you learn to ignore.
Want a note that comes back every time your Mac wakes? FloatyNote floats one note above everything — free for 7 days.
↓ Download free trial Get it for your MacFloatyNote: one sticky note that stays in front
FloatyNote keeps the one thing that made the paper note work: it stays in front.
- Stays on top. Pin the note and it floats above every window, on every Space, even over full-screen apps.
- Pops up on screen wake. Each time your Mac wakes or you unlock it, the note comes to the front — before you click into the wrong window.
- Summon it anywhere with ⌥⌘N, tuck it away with Esc. No accessibility permissions.
- One note, plain text. No folders, no tags, no markdown. A sticky note you can't get lost organizing.
- Offline and private. Your note is a plain .txt on your own disk. No account, no cloud, no analytics.
One sticky note, on purpose
FloatyNote holds a single note — not a board of them. A hundred sticky notes is just a cluttered desktop you learn to ignore; one note, always in front, is a thing you actually read. If you need a full notes database this isn't it, and that's the point. It pairs that focus with the two things Stickies skip: it stays on top everywhere and it greets you when your screen wakes.
In the menu bar, not on the desktop
Instead of parking a note on the desktop where windows bury it, FloatyNote lives in your menu bar — a small note icon, no Dock icon, one keystroke away. It's a single-file native AppKit app with zero dependencies: it launches instantly, uses almost nothing, autosaves as you type, and remembers your window position, size and pin state across launches.
Try it free for 7 days
Download FloatyNote, write two lines, and watch it greet you tomorrow morning.
FloatyNote is a Mac app. Open floatynote.com on your Mac to download the free trial.
macOS 12+ · one-time $9 · no account, no cloud
Questions
How do I keep a sticky note on top on a Mac?
In Apple's Stickies, click the note, then choose Window → Float on Top. That note now stays above other windows — but only that note, and not over full-screen apps. FloatyNote floats its note above every window on every Space, including full-screen apps, and brings it back to the front each time your screen wakes.
Can I put sticky notes on my Mac desktop?
Yes. Stickies notes sit wherever you drag them, and since macOS Sonoma you can also put a Notes widget on the desktop (right-click the desktop → Edit Widgets). Both live behind your app windows, though, so they disappear the moment you start working. FloatyNote keeps one note in the menu bar and floats it on top instead.
What is the best sticky notes app for Mac?
It depends on what you want it for. If you want a wall of colorful notes, macOS Stickies is fine and free. If you want one note you actually see — one that stays on top of every window and greets you on screen wake — FloatyNote is built for exactly that. Our comparison of seven Mac sticky note apps covers the rest.
Where are my Mac sticky notes saved?
Apple's Stickies keeps notes in its own database in your Library folder. FloatyNote saves your note as a plain .txt file in your Application Support folder. It autosaves as you type, and you can grep it, back it up, or put it in a git repo. No account, no cloud, no network.
Does FloatyNote put an icon in the Dock?
No. It runs as a menu-bar app with no Dock icon. Look for the note icon in the menu bar, or press ⌥⌘N to summon it from any app.
Are FloatyNote's sticky notes free?
There's a 7-day free trial, then a one-time $9 license — no subscription. Your note stays readable forever; only editing pauses until you enter a license key.