How to Create Desktop Notes Using the Stickies App in macOS

If you constantly find yourself opening a heavy word processor just to jot down a quick phone number, or covering the plastic bezel of your physical monitor with yellow paper sticky notes, you are severely reducing your daily productivity. macOS includes a built-in application called Stickies that replicates the experience of paper Post-it notes directly on your digital desktop. These digital notes are perfect for holding temporary clipboard data, to-do lists, and quick reminders.

How to Create a New Sticky Note

The Stickies app has been included in macOS for over a decade, but it is often hidden away inside the Applications folder.

1. Open Launchpad (or press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search).
2. Type Stickies and press Enter to launch the application.
3. A small, yellow, semi-transparent square will immediately appear on your desktop.
4. Click anywhere inside the yellow square and start typing. There is no “Save” button; macOS automatically saves everything you type in real-time.

You can create as many notes as you want. To create a second note, press Command + N while the Stickies application is active.

How to Customize Your Notes

Having five identical yellow notes on your screen can quickly become confusing. You can color-code your notes to visually separate work tasks from personal reminders.

1. Click on the specific note you want to change to make it active.
2. Look at the main menu bar at the absolute top of your screen and click on Color.
3. Select a new color from the drop-down menu (e.g., Blue, Green, Pink, Purple).

You can also change the font, size, and styling of the text exactly like you would in a normal word processor. Highlight the text you want to change, click the Font menu at the top of the screen, and click Show Fonts (or press Command + T).

Making Notes Float on Top

The most frustrating aspect of digital notes is that they usually disappear the moment you open your web browser. If you are typing a long serial number from an email into a web form, you need that note visible at all times.

1. Click on the sticky note you want to pin to your screen.
2. Click the Window menu at the top of the screen.
3. Click Float on Top (or press Option + Command + F).

The note will now permanently hover above all other applications, even if you open Safari or Microsoft Word in full-screen mode, ensuring your critical reference data is always visible.