Two Always-on-Top Windows Fighting? How to Fix It

When two windows are both set to stay on top, Windows keeps both above your ordinary windows but has to stack one above the other, and it does that by activation: the one you clicked or opened most recently covers the other. If an app also re-applies its "on top" status on a timer, two such apps can keep swapping places, which looks like flicker. The fix is to make sure only one always-on-top window occupies any part of the screen: turn the setting off in one app, move one of them, or put them on different monitors.

How always-on-top works

Windows keeps every window in a single stack called the z-order. A window marked as *topmost* (the setting behind "always on top") sits above every non-topmost window, whether or not it's active. All topmost windows sit together at the top of the stack.

Among the topmost windows themselves, the usual rule applies: when you activate a window, Windows moves it to the top of the windows of its type. So:

• A pinned window stays above your browser, editor and other normal windows.
• Two pinned windows overlap each other, and whichever you used last is in front.
• An app that repeatedly re-applies its topmost position moves itself back to the front each time, so it can cover a window you just clicked.

Where always-on-top windows come from

How to fix two windows fighting

1. Find out which windows are pinned. Click a normal window such as File Explorer; anything that stays visible on top of it is topmost.
2. Turn always-on-top off in the one you need least. If you pinned it with PowerToys, select it and press Win+Ctrl+T.
3. Give each pinned window its own area. Topmost windows only fight where they overlap; move one to a different part of the screen.
4. Use another monitor. A pinned window on one display never covers a window on another.
5. Stop PowerToys pinning specific apps. In PowerToys, open Always On Top and add the app to Excluded apps.

Microsoft notes that PowerToys can't guarantee a pinned window stays above *other* topmost windows, so if a pinned window slips behind a Remote Desktop or Citrix window, that's expected behaviour rather than a fault.

Full-screen games and video

Topmost windows can also sit over full-screen games and videos. Many tools have an option for this: PowerToys Always On Top has Do not activate when Game Mode is on, and some clipboard and overlay tools pause or hide themselves when a full-screen app is running. Should a clipboard app hide in games? covers that trade-off.

Edge Drop and other pinned windows

Edge Drop, the screen-edge clipboard shelf made by the team behind this site, is always on top by design and re-applies its top position every 2 seconds, so it can trade places with another always-on-top window that overlaps its edge. It doesn't take keyboard focus or appear in the taskbar. To avoid a clash, move it away from the other window with Edge Placement or Display Screen in Settings > Position; how to pick which monitor Edge Drop uses has the steps. Its Fullscreen Protection setting (on by default) closes the shelf and pauses edge hover while a game or full-screen video is running.

FAQ

Can two windows both be always on top?

Yes. Both stay above normal windows, but where they overlap, one has to be in front, and that's normally the one used most recently.

How do I make any window always on top?

Install Microsoft PowerToys, turn on Always On Top, select the window and press Win+Ctrl+T. It can also add an Always on Top option to a window's title bar right-click menu.

Why does a window keep jumping in front of the one I'm using?

It's probably topmost and re-applying that status on a timer. Turn always-on-top off in that app or move it to another part of the screen. Using a clipboard manager on multiple monitors shows how to split tools across screens.

Related reading

• Should a Clipboard App Hide in Fullscreen Games?
• Can PowerToys Replace a Clipboard Manager?
• How to Pick Which Monitor Edge Drop Uses
• How to Keep Edge Drop Quiet in Fullscreen Games

Sources

• Window Features: Z-Order (Microsoft Learn) — how topmost windows are ordered and how activation changes the z-order.
• SetWindowPos (Microsoft Learn) — the function apps use to make a window topmost.
• PowerToys Always On Top (Microsoft Learn) — shortcut, settings, excluded apps and compatibility with other topmost windows.

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