How to keep a screenshot on top of other windows on Mac

You need to look at one thing while typing into another — an invoice, a spec, an error message. Here's how to make a screenshot float above every window on macOS.

Updated October 6, 2026 · Works on macOS Sequoia, Tahoe, and later

Why macOS can't do this by itself

Windows has had "always on top" utilities for decades, and many Linux window managers support it out of the box. macOS doesn't. Apple's window system lets apps create floating panels, but there is no menu item or keyboard shortcut that lets you pin an arbitrary window or image above the others.

The built-in options come close but don't solve it:

• Screenshot thumbnail (⌘⇧4) — floats in the corner for about five seconds, then saves to your Desktop. You can't keep it there.
• Open the image in Preview — works until you click into another app; then Preview drops behind it.
• Split View or window tiling — puts two apps side by side. Useful on a big display, but each window gets half the screen, and on a 13" laptop that's cramped. It also tiles whole windows, not just the part you care about.
• Picture in Picture — floats above everything, but only for video.
• Stage Manager — keeps recent windows visible on the side, but shrunk to thumbnails you can't read.

Method 1: Pin it with FloatSnap (fastest)

FloatSnap is a 1.4 MB menu bar app built for exactly this one job. Every capture becomes a floating window by default — there's no extra "pin" step.

1. Install. Download FloatSnap, drag it to Applications, and open it. macOS will ask for Screen Recording permission (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording).
2. Capture. Press ⌘⇧9 or click the menu bar icon, then drag over the area you want to keep visible.
3. Place it. The capture appears as a floating window above every app. Drag it to a corner, over a spare bit of screen, wherever it helps. You can resize it and stack several at once.
4. Use it. Click into your spreadsheet, editor, or browser and keep working — the screenshot stays on top. Right-click it for OCR text extraction, annotation, copy, or save.
5. Dismiss. Click it once and it's gone. Nothing is saved to your Desktop unless you choose Save. (If you're worried about closing it by accident, right-click → Pin in place.)

Because nothing is stored or uploaded, it's safe to float sensitive things — client invoices, bank statements, internal docs. The app has no account, no analytics, and no cloud component.

Method 2: Use a full screenshot suite

If you want screen recording, scrolling capture, and a big annotation toolkit too, the larger screenshot apps also have a pin feature — it's just one option among many rather than the default behavior.

• Shottr — free to use (with periodic upgrade prompts), $12 one-time license. Take a screenshot, then use its Pin action to float it. See FloatSnap vs Shottr.
• CleanShot X — $29 one-time (includes a year of updates) or via Setapp. Has "Pin to screen" from its capture overlay. See FloatSnap vs CleanShot X.

Method 3: No-install workaround

If you can't install anything (say, a locked-down work Mac), the best you can do is window tiling:

1. Take the screenshot with ⌘⇧4 and open it in Preview.
2. Hover over Preview's green button and choose a left/right tiling option (or use Window → Move & Resize).
3. Tile the app you're typing into on the other half.

It works, but you lose half your screen, and you'll need to delete the screenshot file from your Desktop afterward.

What people use floating screenshots for

• Data entry — float an invoice or receipt over QuickBooks, Xero, or Excel. More in FloatSnap for accountants & bookkeepers.
• Coding — keep an error message, API response, or Stack Overflow answer visible in the editor.
• Design — pin a mockup or Figma frame while building it in code.
• Forms — copy details from one document into a web form without flipping back and forth.
• Working on a laptop — a floating screenshot is like a small second monitor. See how to work without a second monitor.

Frequently asked questions