Classic desktop sticky notes live on the desktop layer, so your browser, editor and calls cover them within minutes — the reminder you wrote is there, just invisible. FloatyNote takes the opposite approach: the note isn't parked on the desktop where windows bury it. It sits in the menu bar, one keystroke away, and floats above your work when you summon it.
How the menu-bar approach works
- Lives in the menu bar. A small note icon sits up top. No Dock icon, no window in your way.
- Summon with ⌥⌘N. The note appears front and center from any app; press it again or Esc to tuck it away.
- Autosaves as you type to a plain .txt file. Window position, size and pin state are remembered across launches.
- Featherweight. A single-file native AppKit app with zero dependencies. Launches instantly, uses almost nothing.
One note on purpose
FloatyNote keeps a single note — no multiple notes, no markdown, no tags. If you need a full notes database, this isn't it, and that's the point. One note you actually read beats a hundred you don't. It pairs that focus with a trick most menu-bar apps skip: it stays on top and pops up when your screen wakes.
Private by default
No account, no cloud, no analytics, no network at all. The note is a .txt on your own disk — yours to grep, back up, or put in a git repo.
Put one note in your menu bar — free for 14 days
Download FloatyNote and summon your note with ⌥⌘N.
macOS 12+ · one-time $9 · no account, no cloud
Questions
What are the best desktop sticky notes for Mac?
The problem with most desktop sticky notes on a Mac is that they sit on the desktop layer and get covered the moment you open a window. FloatyNote keeps one plain-text sticky note in the menu bar instead, and floats it on top of everything — so a desktop sticky note that actually stays visible, with no Dock icon.
Does FloatyNote put an icon in the Dock?
No. It runs as a menu-bar (LSUIElement) app with no Dock icon. Look for the note icon in the menu bar, or press ⌥⌘N to summon it.
Where is my note stored?
In a plain .txt file in your Application Support folder. It autosaves as you type, and you can grep, back up, or version-control it like any text file.
Can it do multiple notes, markdown or tags?
No, by design. FloatyNote is one plain-text note with one job. That focus is the feature — it never becomes another place where notes go to be ignored.