How to Keep ChatGPT Always on Top in Windows

One thing changed in July 2026 that breaks a lot of older advice. OpenAI's new desktop app (Chat, Work and Codex together) replaced the app that most guides describe, and the old one is now called ChatGPT Classic. Classic's Alt+Space companion window floats over other apps. The new app's quick chat window, according to an open GitHub issue from September 2026 (openai/codex #42750), goes to the background as soon as another app gets focus. So "use the ChatGPT app" is only half an answer now.

Which method should you use?

If you never share your screen and don't need transparency, methods 1 to 3 cost nothing and are enough. The rest of this guide walks through each one.

Method 1: Use the ChatGPT Classic companion window

1. Install ChatGPT Classic from the Microsoft Store (product ID 9NT1R1C2HH7J, or winget install --id 9NT1R1C2HH7J -s msstore). Check that the publisher is OpenAI.
2. Sign in and leave the app running. The shortcut only works while it's open, so it helps to let it start with Windows.
3. Press Alt + Space. A compact chat window opens over whatever you're doing.
4. Drag it to a corner. OpenAI says it remembers its last position and resets to the bottom center if the app resets.

What goes wrong: nothing happens when you press Alt+Space. Another running app owns the key. PowerToys Run, Microsoft Copilot and the Gemini app (released September 2026) all use it. Change ChatGPT's key under Settings > App > Companion window hotkey. More detail in our ChatGPT desktop app guide.

Method 2: Pin the ChatGPT app with PowerToys

This works with the new ChatGPT app, ChatGPT Classic's main window or a browser window.

1. Install Microsoft PowerToys: winget install --id Microsoft.PowerToys --source winget, or from the Microsoft Store.
2. In PowerToys Settings, make sure Always On Top is turned on.
3. Click the ChatGPT window and press Win + Ctrl + T. A colored border shows it's pinned.
4. Resize it to a narrow column and snap it to the right edge. A window about 450 pixels wide fits a chat without covering your main work on a 1920-pixel screen.

The catch is the full app. The new ChatGPT desktop app has a sidebar and a lot of chrome, so a pinned window has to be wide to stay usable. Collapse the sidebar first. Our always on top guide covers PowerToys settings and what to do when a pinned window slips behind something.

Method 3: Install chatgpt.com as an Edge app and pin it

If you'd rather not install the desktop app, Edge can turn chatgpt.com into its own window with no tabs or address bar, which takes up less space when pinned.

1. Open chatgpt.com in Microsoft Edge and sign in.
2. Open the Edge menu (Alt + F), choose Apps, then Install this site as an app.
3. Launch it from the Start menu. It opens in a separate window with its own taskbar icon.
4. Click it and press Win + Ctrl + T.

Chrome has the same feature under its menu's Cast, save and share section. One limit worth knowing: Chrome and Edge's picture-in-picture mode only works for video, so it won't float a ChatGPT page.

Method 4: Run ChatGPT in an always-on-top overlay

Methods 1 to 3 pin a normal window. That window is opaque, it catches every mouse click, and it's in the stream if you share your whole screen. If any of those three bother you, an overlay solves them in one place. AuraCloak is our overlay, and here's how to set it up for ChatGPT:

1. Install AuraCloak (about a 50 MB installer, Windows 10 version 2004 or later, x64) and enter your license key.
2. Press Ctrl + Alt + Space to show the overlay. It's topmost by default.
3. Pick a provider from the title bar dropdown:
   • Browser to load chatgpt.com with your normal login. Your ChatGPT Plus plan works, and there's no extra AI cost. See browser mode.
   • OpenAI to use your own API key and pay OpenAI per token. See BYOK.
4. Drag the opacity slider down until you can read the document behind it.
5. Press Alt + C when you want clicks to pass through to the app underneath, and again to type in the overlay.

Two extras that matter for ChatGPT specifically: Alt + S screenshots your monitors straight into the chat, which beats Win+Shift+S and paste, and Alt + V starts voice input, which sends your prompt when you stop talking.

The privacy part is a Windows feature, not magic. AuraCloak calls SetWindowDisplayAffinity with WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE on its own window, so Zoom, Teams, Google Meet in a browser, OBS and Snipping Tool leave it out. A phone pointed at your screen or a hardware capture card on your HDMI output still sees it. Pricing is $9 a month or $49 once on the pricing page.

Do Copilot and Gemini float on top by default?

Partly, and it's worth knowing if you're not tied to ChatGPT. Google's Gemini app for Windows, released on September 10, 2026, opens over your current window with Alt + Space, which is the same idea as ChatGPT Classic's companion window. Microsoft Copilot opens with the Copilot key or Win + C, and Microsoft lets you choose whether that shortcut opens the full app or a smaller quick view. Neither is a pinned, always-visible panel in the PowerToys sense. They're quick pop-ups that you dismiss when you're done.

All three compete for Alt+Space, so if you install Gemini next to ChatGPT Classic, only the one that starts first will answer. The best AI assistant for Windows roundup compares them side by side.

How do you make a floating ChatGPT window actually useful?

• Keep it narrow. Long answers wrap fine in a 400 to 500 pixel column. Wide windows end up covering the thing you're asking about.
• Set a short system prompt. Something like "Answer in under 80 words unless I ask for more" stops a small window filling with essays. AuraCloak has a custom system prompt field; in ChatGPT itself, use custom instructions.
• Put it on the side you don't read from. Most people read from the left, so the right edge of the screen is the least disruptive spot.
• Check shortcut clashes once. Alt+Space is contested by several apps, and Claude desktop uses Ctrl+Alt+Space, the same key AuraCloak uses. Give each app its own key on day one.

FAQ

Can I make ChatGPT always on top in Windows?

Yes. The ChatGPT Classic app's Alt+Space companion window floats over other apps. For the new ChatGPT app or a browser window, install Microsoft PowerToys and press Win+Ctrl+T while the ChatGPT window is active.

Does the new ChatGPT desktop app have a floating window?

It has a pop-out quick chat window with its own hotkey under Settings, Keyboard shortcuts. Users report it drops behind other apps when they lose focus and sometimes opens in Codex mode, so pin it with PowerToys if it must stay visible.

How do I stop Alt+Space from opening the wrong app?

Give each app its own shortcut. In ChatGPT Classic, open Settings, App, Companion window hotkey. Then change or turn off Alt+Space in PowerToys Run, Microsoft Copilot or Gemini, whichever you use less.

Can I make the ChatGPT window transparent?

Not in the ChatGPT apps or with PowerToys Always On Top. You need an overlay with an opacity setting, such as AuraCloak, or an AutoHotkey script using WinSetTransparent.

Does PowerToys work with the ChatGPT Microsoft Store app?

Yes. PowerToys Always On Top pins any normal desktop window, including Store apps such as ChatGPT and ChatGPT Classic. Click the ChatGPT window first, then press Win+Ctrl+T, because the shortcut acts on the active window.

Will a pinned ChatGPT window show up when I share my screen?

Yes, if you share your entire screen. Pinning only changes window order. Share a single window instead, or run ChatGPT in an app that excludes itself from Windows screen capture.