What It Does
WindowPin captures a live image of any window and displays it as a floating overlay that stays on top of everything else. The overlay updates continuously at a configurable frame rate.
When you switch to the app that owns a pinned window, the overlay automatically drops behind the real window so you interact with the actual app — not the overlay.
Pinning a Window
Using the keyboard shortcut
- Click the window you want to pin to bring it to the front
- Press ⌃⌘P
- A live overlay appears on top of all other windows
Press the shortcut again to unpin.
Using the menu
- Click the window you want to pin to bring it to the front
- Click the pin icon in the menu bar
- Click Pin next to the frontmost window
Interacting with Overlays
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Click an overlay | Brings the real window to the front; overlay drops behind it |
| Drag an overlay | Repositions the overlay on screen |
| Switch to the pinned window's app | Overlay automatically drops behind the real window |
| Switch to a different app | Overlay floats back on top |
Settings
Capture Rate
| Rate | Best For |
|---|---|
| 0.5 fps | Static content (documents, reference pages) |
| 1 fps (default) | General use |
| 2–5 fps | Slowly changing content (dashboards, chat) |
| 10–30 fps | Video or rapidly updating content (higher CPU usage) |
Pin to All Spaces
When enabled, pinned overlays appear on every Mission Control space. When disabled, they only appear on the space where they were created.
Custom Keyboard Shortcut
Click Change Shortcut in the menu, then press your desired key combination. All settings persist across restarts.
Permissions
- Accessibility — for the global keyboard shortcut and bringing windows to the front. Grant in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
- Screen Recording — for capturing window content. Grant in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.
Installation
- Download WindowPin.zip from the link above
- Unzip and double-click
WindowPin.appto launch - Grant the permissions when prompted
To start at login, add it to System Settings → General → Login Items.
Building from Source
WindowPin uses Swift Package Manager. No Xcode project is required.
- Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/PerpetualBeta/WindowPin.git - Run
./build.sh - Launch with
open _BuildOutput/WindowPin.app
Requirements
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.