Character House lets you keep your desktop companion floating above active windows using the Always on top setting. If your companion disappears behind browser windows when you click off the application, enabling Always on top keeps them pinned in front. Conversely, if your companion blocks your view during full-screen games, you can disable it instantly via the character menu or the taskbar quick toggle introduced in the September 21, 2026 update.
This guide explains how to toggle Always on top in Character House -Desktop Companion- by developer Yinengjie, when to use it, and how to combine it with other window-management settings.
How to Toggle Always on Top in Character House
The game provides two direct methods to turn the window pin setting on or off:
Method 1: The Character Context Menu
- Move your cursor over your desktop companion and right-click on the character.
- Locate the Always on top option in the pop-up radial/context menu.
- Click it to switch the state on or off. When enabled, your character will overlay whatever app or browser tab you are currently using.
Method 2: The Taskbar Quick Pin Toggle
Following the September 21, 2026 demo update, you do not need to open the character menu to adjust the overlay state:
- Look at your Windows taskbar where Character House is active.
- Use the taskbar shortcut to toggle Always on Top on or off with a single click.
- This shortcut was added specifically for players who need to suppress the companion overlay during immersive gaming sessions without digging through character menus.
| Method | Where to Click | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Context Menu | Right-click directly on the companion | Initial setup and custom scaling |
| Taskbar Quick Pin | Character House taskbar icon | Quick toggling when launching full-screen games |
Managing Window Conflicts and Full-Screen Games
The Always on top feature directly influences how the companion interacts with other open programs. Depending on what you are doing on your PC, you will want different behaviors:
Working and Web Browsing
When multitasking, typing documents, or browsing the web, keep Always on top enabled. If this option is turned off, clicking anywhere inside another software window will send the Character House window behind that program, making your companion appear to vanish.
Full-Screen Gaming
Because an Always on top companion renders on top of active screen space, it will sit directly over games running in borderless or windowed full-screen modes. When launching a game, click the taskbar pin toggle to drop the character behind your game window. Additionally, you can adjust the companion's frame rate under the settings panel (choose between 30 FPS, 60 FPS, or unlimited) so the pet does not compete with your game for GPU resources.
Related Desktop Placement Controls
Right-clicking your companion reveals several additional movement and display settings that work alongside Always on top:
- Auto walk: Toggle this off if your character is set to Standing Mode but you do not want them wandering across your work windows or clicking targets.
- Switch monitor: Sends the companion directly to a secondary display so they stay visible without cluttering your primary workspace.
- Size: Scales the character model up or down. Players on high-resolution screens frequently scale characters down so they sit unobtrusively near the taskbar.
- Drag to Follow: Right-clicking a character and holding the drag action makes the companion follow your mouse cursor, offering steadier positioning than standard dragging.
- Hiding in the Corner Mode: If you want the character visible without interfering with active windows, switch them into Corner mode to park them quietly at the screen boundary.
Troubleshooting Lost or Disappearing Characters
If your character disappears or fails to stay on top, check these verified solutions from official update notes and community reports:
- Character fell off the screen: In the initial demo release, wandering characters could drift off the visible display area. The September 21 update added a character reset option accessible directly from the taskbar icon to snap them back to the center of your monitor.
- Game disappears when clicking the desktop: If your character vanishes the moment you interact with another application, Always on top is turned off. Re-enable it via the taskbar or right-click menu.
- Black screen or lost transparency on Linux/Proton: The Windows build running on Linux through Proton does not properly support desktop transparency and window overlay layers. Community reports confirm the game launches with a solid black background and unclickable buttons on Proton. Transparent desktop overlays currently require native Windows environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Character House pet disappear when I click on Chrome or Word?
This happens when Always on top is switched off. Without the pin enabled, Windows treats the desktop pet as a standard background window, causing it to hide behind whichever app gains active focus.
Can I toggle Always on top without clicking on the character?
Yes. The September 21, 2026 update added a single-click Quick Pin toggle directly on the Windows taskbar, allowing you to turn the overlay on and off without clicking the pet.
Will Always on top interfere with keyboard tracking in typing mode?
No. Sit-in-a-Row (Typing) mode syncs with your keystrokes regardless of whether the character is pinned on top. If you prefer not to track keystrokes at all, a separate toggle to disable the counter is available in the settings menu.
