FloateGuide
How to keep a note on top of full-screen apps on Mac
Short answer: Stickies and Apple Notes can keep a note in front of normal windows, but not over an app in full screen, because full screen moves the app into its own Space and your note stays behind on the desktop. The easy fix is a notes app built to float over full screen: in Floate you press ⌘⇧N in any app, full screen included, and a note opens on top. Without a new app, your options are to maximise the window instead of going full screen, use Split View, or drag an Apple Notes window into the full-screen Space by hand each time.
Why your note disappears in full screen
When you click the green button, macOS doesn't just make the window bigger. It gives the app its own Space, separate from your desktop. Regular windows belong to one Space, so a note you made on the desktop stays there. The TackNote team explains this well, and it's also why "Float on Top" in Stickies doesn't follow you into a full-screen app.
An app can ask macOS to let its windows appear over full-screen Spaces, but you can't switch this on yourself. The app has to be built that way. Stickies and Apple Notes aren't.
The easy way: a note that floats over full screen
Floate is built for exactly this. Every note floats over full-screen apps and every desktop, with nothing to turn on.
- Press ⌘⇧N in any app, or click the Floate icon in the menu bar. A note opens on top of what you're doing, full-screen video included.
- Type. The note stays on top while you switch apps, change desktops or go full screen. Open as many notes as you need.
- If the note covers something, make it see-through. Each note goes from 20% to fully opaque, so the slide or video behind it stays visible.
- Need it private? Hide any note from screenshots, recordings and most screen shares with one click.
- When you're done, the note is already saved as a Markdown file in a folder on your Mac (Documents/Floate by default), and it's in the library window with folders and ⌘K search.
Floate launches in mid-November 2026 for Apple silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or later. Join the waitlist to get it for $2.99 once ($6.99 after launch).
Other apps that float over full screen include Noticky, HushNotes and Flotnote. Here's how they stack up: Floating notes apps for Mac, compared.
The built-in workarounds
If you'd rather not install anything, these work, with limits.
Stickies: Float on Top, windowed apps only
- Open Stickies and choose File > New Note.
- Choose Window > Float on Top. The note now stays in front of other windows (Apple Stickies guide).
- Optional: choose Window > Translucent so you can see through it.
Limits: it won't show over full-screen apps, and your notes only appear while Stickies is open (Apple). There are no headings, checklists or folders. More in Floate vs Stickies.
Apple Notes: Keep on Top, plus a drag trick
- In Notes, double-click a note (or Control-click it and choose Open Note in New Window) so it opens in its own window.
- With that window selected, choose Window > Keep on Top. On some macOS versions the menu item is called Float on Top (MacMost, TechJunkie).
To get it over a full-screen app, MacMost shows a trick: put the note window where you want it, then start dragging it and, while still holding, press Control-Right Arrow to carry it into the full-screen Space. You can't drag it there through Mission Control, and if you close the note window, Keep on Top turns off and you have to set it again (MacMost).
Limits: one note window at a time, the setting resets when you close it, and the drag trick has to be repeated for each full-screen app. More in Floate vs Apple Notes.
Maximise instead of full screen
If you only need the space, maximise the app instead of going full screen. The window gets bigger but stays on your desktop, so a floating Stickies or Notes window still shows on top. Apple's own guide suggests this for people who want a bigger window without full screen (Apple: Use apps in full screen).
Limits: you lose the clean full-screen view, and the menu bar and Dock stay visible.
Split View
Put the full-screen app on one side and your notes app on the other. Apple describes the steps in Use apps in full screen: press Control-Up Arrow for Mission Control, drag a window onto the full-screen app's thumbnail, then click the Split View thumbnail.
Limits: your notes take a third to half of the screen the whole time, which is a lot for a video or a slide deck.
Which should you use?
| You need | Use |
|---|---|
| Notes over full-screen video, slides or calls, every day | Floate |
| Notes hidden from your screen share | Floate |
| A note or two over normal windows, for free | Stickies with Float on Top |
| One Apple Notes note over one full-screen app, now and then | The Keep on Top drag trick |
| Lots of screen space, no new app | Maximise instead of full screen |
The workarounds are fine once in a while. If you're in full screen every day, they get old fast.
Questions
Why does my sticky note disappear when I go full screen on Mac?
Full screen moves the app into its own Space. Stickies and normal app windows stay on the desktop Space, so you don't see them until you leave full screen. Apps built to float, like Floate, show over full-screen Spaces too.
Can Stickies float over a full-screen app?
No. Float on Top keeps a note above normal windows only. Use a maximised window instead of full screen, or an app built to float over full screen, like Floate.
Does Apple Notes Keep on Top work in full screen?
Only with a workaround: drag the note window and press Control-Right Arrow to carry it into the full-screen Space, as MacMost shows. Closing the window resets it.
Is there a setting in macOS to keep any window on top?
No. There's no system-wide "always on top" setting. Each app decides whether its windows float. Floate's notes float over every app and full-screen Space by default.
Will a floating note show in my screen share?
A normal note window does. Floate can hide any note from screenshots, recordings and most screen shares, and HushNotes and Noticky offer similar privacy settings. Apps like Zoom handle this differently, so do a quick test share before an important call.