How to Set Notepad to Be Always on Top: A Quick Guide

When managing multiple windows on your computer, it may often be essential to keep certain applications like Notepad visible at all times. This can prove particularly useful when you’re referencing or monitoring live data while working within other programs. We’ve explored the methods that enable you to set Notepad – or indeed, any application – to always stay on top of other windows. It’s a feature that’s not native to Windows but can be achieved with the help of third-party utilities.

By activating the “Always On Top” utility within PowerToys, you can pin Notepad so it remains visible, no matter what else you’re doing. This tool is easily toggled on or off, allowing for flexibility and convenience during tasks that demand constant visibility of Notepad. The process involves simple keyboard shortcuts and can be customized to suit your preferences.

Beyond the convenience of PowerToys, other scripting tools such as AutoHotkey offer similar functionalities, where with a simple script, windows can be set to remain at the forefront of the screen. Such customizations give us the control to tailor our workspace to our needs, ensuring that critical information remains in view while we navigate through other tasks on our computers.

Exploring Notepad and Its Features

In the realm of text editing, Notepad might seem simple, but its functionality extends to helpful tools like “Always on Top,” particularly when multitasking. We will specifically look at how Notepad stands against its counterpart Notepad++ in terms of this feature.

Understanding Always on Top

We often need a text editor to remain visible while working with other applications. That’s where the “Always on Top” feature comes into play. This feature isn’t natively available in the classical Notepad included in Windows. To achieve it, users typically rely on third-party software or tweaks.

For instance, one can use simple utility programs downloadable from the internet that can pin any window, including Notepad, to stay on top. Users activate the feature by selecting the window and pressing a keyboard shortcut, commonly Ctrl+Space, to toggle the “Always on Top” state.

Notepad vs Notepad++

Comparatively, Notepad++, an enhanced version of Notepad, has the “Always on Top” option integrated into its functionality. We can find this feature in the View menu of Notepad++. After clicking View, we select “Always on Top” to enable it. A blue tick appears next to the setting, confirming the activation.

Bear in mind that this preference resets upon closing Notepad++. Therefore, each time we open Notepad++, we’ll have to reactivate “Always on Top” if we wish to use it during our session.

Enabling Always on Top in Windows

In our pursuit to enhance productivity, having the ability to keep Notepad or any window always on top is a simple yet effective tweak for our desktop environment. We’ll walk you through using Windows’ built-in features and third-party tools to achieve this, as well as how to craft custom shortcuts using AutoHotkey.

Using Built-In Options for Always on Top

Utilizing Third-Party Tools

For our purposes, third-party options like TurboTop and DeskPins come in handy. Both are lightweight applications that nestle neatly into the system tray, reducing taskbar clutter.

Both tools provide a clear indication that a window is set to always remain on top, making it effortless to manage multiple windows during our workflow.

Creating Custom Shortcuts with AutoHotkey

We often recommend AutoHotkey (AHK) for our power users who prefer a more tailored experience. By writing a simple AHK script, you can define custom keyboard shortcuts to toggle the “always on top” state for active windows. The script uses the Winset, Alwaysontop command, which you can bind to any key combination of your choice. This method provides granular control, allowing us to precisely define how and when a window should stay on top.

Creating these shortcuts requires a bit of scripting knowledge, but the flexibility gained is well worth the initial setup. Here’s a basic example of an AHK script to set Notepad always on top:

^SPACE::  ; Control+Space is the chosen hotkey
Winset, Alwaysontop, , A
return

This script makes the currently active window (denoted by ‘A’) always on top when we press Control (Ctrl) and Space together. The return statement signifies the end of the hotkey’s action.

Optimizing Your Workflow

Working with Notepad efficiently often means having the application readily available while multitasking. Adjusting the program to remain always on top can prevent the Notepad window from getting buried beneath other windows, thus streamlining our workflow when taking notes or editing text.

Adjusting Window Size and Position

Leveraging Keyboard Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts can make the management of Notepad’s window state more efficient. Here’s a commonly used script with AutoHotkey, a background running script that can toggle the always-on-top feature with a simple shortcut.

It’s helpful to remember these commands or configure custom shortcuts that feel intuitive for us, integrating seamlessly into our daily operations. This kind of customization in our development environment can significantly cut down on the time we spend managing windows, thus optimizing not only our workspace but also our productivity.