How to Run Programs and Apps in Picture in Picture (PIP) Mode on Windows 10.
Learn how to get PIP (Picture in Picture) mode for programs and apps on Windows 10. This will allow you to keep just about any program or app in an always on top position on your screen when working on Windows 10.
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Picture in picture mode, also commonly known as PIP is a very useful feature to have available on modern devices as it allows you to multitask without the aid of multiple monitors or screens. Although a lot of modern devices like phones, tablets, smart TVs, computers, and even browsers (Chrome) have picture in picture mode, Windows 10 doesn’t include it as standard.
Even though Windows 10 doesn’t have picture in picture mode available by default, you can add it to the operating system using a clever little tool available from GitHub called PIPtool. With PiPtool installed on your computer, you can set just about any program or app to be displayed in PIP mode, as an always on top window. Allowing you to work in the background.
For the most part, this is more useful for video content but is also quite handy if you need to read and type content at the same time. Of course, you could always use Windows 10’s Snap Assist feature but it does limit the size of the windows you use and won’t always force the Window to remain on top.
How Do You Run Programs & Apps in Picture in Picture Mode on Windows 10?
To begin, the first thing you will need to do is download and install PiPtool from Github. Which you can find a download link to below. During the installation process you may get a Windows Defender prompt.
Once you have installed PiPtool, open it from the start menu, then select the program you wish to use in a PIP window from the PiPtool drop-down menu. The program must be open in order for it to be a selectable option. Next, use the sizing tool to crop the program into a window size that works for your situation and screen size. The best part is that you don’t have to crop the entire program's interface, if you only want to copy a single paragraph from a website showing in Chrome, you can do so. Finally, when you have the selection perfect, click the Tick in the PiPtool window to lock in the new PIP window.
As soon as you click the tick, you will have a new picture in picture, always on top window of the program you chose. Now simply drag this window to the position you would like it kept on your screen. You can also re-adjust the size of the window as you would any other window on Windows 10.
Although the program is super basic and easy to use, it may take you a few goes to get the crop and resizing of the window perfected. However, once you have, it’s a super useful tool to have installed on your computer, especially if you are using it to view video content from something like VLC.
Related: How to Add Programs to the Context Menu on Windows 10. (Right-Click Menu)
Wrapping Things Up.
As PiPtool is a very new bit of software still near its base 1.0 version, you may encounter some issues with its operation. However, these are generally installation errors. If you encounter any problems, head on over the dev page and report the issue, the more reports, the quicker it will become a fully fledged Windows 10 tool.