To achieve a window on top in macOS, the operation steps and tool selection often make people feel confused, especially when it comes to the underlying settings of the system, you need to be more careful.
Check SIP status
Before attempting to turn off System Integrity Protection, it is important to confirm its current status. Open the "Terminal" application that comes with your Mac and type specific query commands on the command line. If the system returns a word like "disabled", it means that SIP is already closed.
On the contrary, if the terminal displays "enabled", it means that system integrity protection is being carried out. This protection mechanism is a core security feature of macOS. It is turned on by default to prevent malware from modifying protected system files and directories.
Steps to turn off SIP
If you want to turn off SIP, you need to enter macOS recovery mode. The specific operation is to first completely turn off the power of the Mac, then press the power button to turn it on, and then immediately press and hold the Command key and the R key. When the Apple logo appears on the screen or the recovery interface is entered, you can release these two buttons.
On the recovery function interface, click "Utilities" in the top menu bar, and then select "Terminal". Enter the command to turn off SIP in the opened terminal window, and then press Enter to execute. After completing this, restart the computer and the system will start normally, with SIP now disabled.
Install enhanced plug-ins
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.libraryvalidation.plist DisableLibraryValidation -bool trueAfter the system restarts, you need to install a third-party system enhancement tool to achieve the window top function. Take a well-known open source tool as an example. Run a specific line of commands in the terminal and enter the user password as prompted to complete the installation.
First, after completing the installation, open that tool. Then, look for the plug-in management page on the sidebar on the main interface of the software. On this page, all available functional plug-ins will be listed. Then, we need to find out the plug-ins related to window management to carry out subsequent operations.
Get the window top plug-in
In the plug-in list, look for a plug-in with a label similar to "Window Top". Its description usually includes "floating window" or "top display". After finding it, click the "GET" button next to the plug-in to download and install it.
The following situation indicates that the plug-in is installed successfully, that is, the button text changes from "GET" to "OPEN". In order for the plug-in to operate normally, it is recommended to restart the computer again according to the prompts. The purpose of this restart is to allow the newly installed plug-in core components to be fully loaded by the system.
Application window top operation
After the computer is restarted, open any application that you want to display on top, such as a web browser or a text editor, and then move the mouse to the icon of the application on the so-called Dock bar at the bottom of the screen, and then right-click or Control-click.
You will see a new option such as "Float Window" or "Window Floating" in the context menu that pops up. Click this option and the window at the front of the current application will be immediately locked at the top of the screen and will not be covered by other windows.
Alternatives and their limitations
If you feel that the above process is complicated, you can consider using specialized single-function software. This type of software generally downloads the installation package from the official website and then installs it directly. There is no need to configure system settings or install plug-ins.
However, the functions of such tools are relatively single. For example, there is a relatively well-known software that only supports pinning pictures and videos to the top and presenting a simple web page view. Its built-in video player function is limited and does not support the features of advanced players such as double-speed playback and subtitle loading. In addition, some software may not be natively adapted to Macs with Apple Silicon chips.
During your daily work, what type of window do you most often display on top? Is it a video tutorial, a reference document, or a chat window in an instant messaging software? You are welcome to share your usage scenarios in the comment area. If you think this article is helpful to you, please like it and share it with more friends in need.
