# How to keep the NotchStar notch open

> Press the pin button in the notch header, labelled Keep open, and the notch stays open when the pointer leaves. Press it again to unpin.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/pin-the-notchstar-notch-open/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

To keep the NotchStar notch open, open it and press the pin button in the header. It is labelled **Keep open**. While it is pinned, moving the pointer away does not close the notch. Press it again, now labelled **Unpin**, to let it close.

## Steps

1. Open the notch by hovering or clicking.
2. In the header, press the pin icon. It fills in when active.
3. Work in another app. The notch stays open.
4. To close it, press the pin again. If the pointer is not on the notch, it closes right away.

## When it helps

- Reading a script in the [Teleprompter](https://www.notchstar.com/features/teleprompter/) while you use the mouse elsewhere.
- Watching a [timer](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/) count down.
- Copying from another app into the Clipboard tab.

## What a pin changes

A pinned notch ignores the pointer leaving and ignores clicks outside. It does not stop you from switching tools. Quitting NotchStar and opening it again starts unpinned.

## Troubleshooting

If the notch will not close, it is probably pinned. Look for the filled pin in the header and press it. This is also a cause worth checking in [why the notch does not open](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-notch-does-not-open/), since a stuck notch can look odd on the wrong screen.

For opening modes see [hover or click](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-notchstar-on-click-instead-of-hover/) and [how hover opening works](https://www.notchstar.com/help/how-hover-opens-notchstar/).

## Quick answers.

### Does the pin survive a restart?

No. NotchStar starts unpinned.

## Keep reading.

- [How hover opening works in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/how-hover-opens-notchstar/): Move the pointer to the notch and NotchStar opens after a short pause of 80 milliseconds. The open panel is 660 by 296 points. Click mode is in Settings.
- [How to make NotchStar open on click instead of hover](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-notchstar-on-click-instead-of-hover/): If the notch opens by accident, set Open notch to On click in Settings, General. You then click to open and click outside to close.
- [Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/): A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed.
- [A teleprompter right under your camera](https://www.notchstar.com/features/teleprompter/): Read a scrolling script right beside your Mac's camera. Adjustable speed and text size, fading edges, and an edit mode for your script.

## More in Settings.

- [How to make NotchStar open on click instead of hover](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-notchstar-on-click-instead-of-hover/): If the notch opens by accident, set Open notch to On click in Settings, General. You then click to open and click outside to close.
- [How to reorder or hide tools in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-tool-order-and-hidden-tools/): Open Settings, Tools, drag tools into your order and switch off the ones you do not use. At least one tool always stays on.
- [How to make NotchStar open at login](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-launch-at-login/): Switch on Launch at login in NotchStar Settings, General. macOS may ask you to allow it in System Settings, Login Items.
- [How to quit NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/quit-notchstar/): Click the star in the menu bar and choose Quit NotchStar, or press Command Q while its menu is open. Quitting clears clipboard history and the shelf.
- [How to update NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/update-notchstar/): NotchStar has no automatic updater today. Download the new disk image from this site and drag it over the old app. Your license and settings stay.
- [How to uninstall NotchStar from your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/help/uninstall-notchstar/): Quit NotchStar, deactivate the license if you want the slot back, switch off launch at login and drag the app to the Trash.