How Can I Force a .NET WinForms Window to Always Stay on Top, Even When Other Topmost Windows Appear?

Create an always-on-top window in .Net

When dealing with complex applications containing multiple windows, developers often face the challenge of keeping a specific window always visible. This window top problem is very common in .Net WinForms environment. Let’s dive into a specific scenario and its solution.

In a C# WinForms application, the user encountered a situation where a macro running in an external program caused a large number of pop-ups, creating a confusing user experience. To alleviate this problem, users tried to implement a cancel button to stop the process. However, the window containing the cancel button cannot always be kept on top.

Solution:

Form.TopMost = true;

This method should generally cause the window to float above all other windows. However, users reported that another program kept generating pinned windows, blocking the cancel window.

Overcoming limitations:

There is no direct way to create a window so that it is not obscured by another process's pinned window. This limitation arises from the underlying mechanism of window stacking. As Raymond Chen explains in his detailed article, the operating system maintains a single stacking order for all pinned windows, regardless of their application origin.

Alternative:

As a workaround, the user implemented a system tray icon that double-clicked to cancel the process. The system tray icon will not be obscured by the pinned window.

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