There are two ways to do this, and they behave very differently. One floats the window above your work. The other reserves space beside it. This page covers both, starting with the free option.
Microsoft's own PowerToys utility includes an Always on Top module. It works with any window, including the ChatGPT desktop app or a browser window running ChatGPT.
Install Microsoft PowerToys from the Microsoft Store or GitHubFree and made by Microsoft
Open PowerToys Settings and enable the Always on Top module
Click the ChatGPT window so it has focus
Press Win + Ctrl + TA highlight border appears around the window. Press again to turn it off.
That's it. ChatGPT now stays above every other window, including maximized ones.
Always on top changes the stacking order — nothing else. The window still sits on top of the same screen area, which means it covers part of whatever is underneath. If you're writing in a maximized document or editor, the floating ChatGPT window is now sitting on top of your text.
For quick reference that's fine. For something you keep open all day, it becomes the thing you're constantly dragging out of the way.
Windows has a second mechanism, the one the taskbar itself uses. Instead of floating a window above the desktop, an application can tell Windows that part of the screen isn't available. Every other window then works around it — including maximized ones, which fill only the remaining area.
The window floats above your work and covers part of it. Your document is still full-width underneath — you just can't see all of it.
The desktop itself is smaller. Your maximized document ends where the reserved strip begins. Nothing overlaps.
Always On Dock does this for any program. Drag the ChatGPT window onto the reserved strip by its title bar and it stays there — no floating, no overlap, and no re-arranging every time you maximize something else.
| Always on top (PowerToys) | Always On Dock | |
|---|---|---|
| Stays visible when you maximize other windows | Yes | Yes |
| Covers the work underneath | Yes — that's how it works | No — space is reserved |
| Keeps its position automatically | You reposition it manually | Fixed strip, remembered per monitor |
| More than one pinned window | Each floats independently, overlapping | Up to 3, split vertically in the strip |
| Cost | Free | $0.99 one-time, 1-day trial |
If PowerToys solves your problem, use PowerToys — it's free and it's good. Reserved space is worth it when the window is one you keep open all day and the overlap becomes the annoyance.
The same applies to any AI assistant — a desktop app, a browser tab, or a local model's interface. Always On Dock doesn't care which; if it's a Windows window, it can be docked.
Install Microsoft PowerToys, enable the Always on Top module, focus the ChatGPT window and press Win+Ctrl+T. Press it again to release.
It only changes which window is drawn in front. The floating window still occupies the same screen area as whatever is behind it. Reserved space avoids this by making the usable desktop smaller instead.
Yes — reserve the space rather than float the window. Always On Dock uses the Windows AppBar system to do this, the same mechanism behind the taskbar.
Both. Any normal Windows window can be docked.
Windows 10 and 11. $0.99 one-time, no subscription. 1-day free trial through the Microsoft Store.
Get it on Microsoft Store