A to-do list that floats on top of other windows on your Mac
To keep a to-do list on top of other windows on a Mac, open it in a floating window. In Alcove, pull any list, note or board out of the menu bar, or choose Open in Floating Window, and it stays above your other apps, even full-screen ones, with its own size, opacity and compact mode. Stickies can also float a plain note on top.
Some lists need to stay in sight: the five things for today, the checklist for a release, the steps of a recipe. A floating window keeps a list above whatever you're doing, so you can glance at it and tick things off without switching apps.
Floating windows in Alcove
In Alcove, any list, note or board can float.
- From the menu bar: click the Alcove icon, open the Lists, Notes or Boards tab, and click the window button beside one, or drag a list or note out of the menu bar onto your desktop.
- From the main window: right-click a board in the sidebar and choose Open in Floating Window.
The window floats above your other apps, including full-screen ones, and follows you to every desktop. Drag its edges to resize it.
What you can do in a floating window
- Tick tasks off without the keyboard leaving the app you're typing in.
- Add a task in the field at the bottom, in plain words.
- Reorder tasks by dragging, and open a task to see its notes, dates and attachments.
- Set its opacity from 60 to 100 percent, switch to compact rows, or turn Float on top off so it behaves like a normal window.
- Undo and redo from its title bar.
Floating notes are full editors, with checklists and tables that do the maths, and floating boards let you drag cards between columns.
Other ways to float a list
- Stickies. Type a list in a Stickies note and choose Window, Float on Top. There are no checkboxes, dates or sync, but it's built in.
- Desktop widgets. On macOS Sonoma and later, widgets sit on the desktop. They're always there but behind your windows. See to-do widgets on the Mac desktop.
Tips
- Float today, not everything. One small window with today's list is easier to live with than three big ones.
- Use a note as a checklist for a procedure you repeat, like publishing or packing, and float it while you work through it.
- Dim it. At 70 percent opacity a floating list is easy to read but doesn't shout.
Sources
- Stickies: keep a note in front of other windows, Apple Support
Questions people ask
Can a to-do list stay on top of a full-screen app on a Mac?
Yes, in Alcove. A floating list, note or board stays above full-screen apps and follows you between desktops.
Can I make the floating window see-through?
Yes. Each floating Alcove window has its own opacity, from 60 to 100 percent, and a compact density for smaller rows.
Will ticking a task in the floating window steal focus from what I'm typing?
No. Ticking a task in a floating list leaves the keyboard in the app you're working in.
Does the floating window remember where I put it?
Yes. Floating windows keep their size and position, and reopen when you open Alcove again.