Keep OBS Audio Mixer Always on Top of Games

This article explains how to keep the OBS Studio audio mixer visible over a borderless windowed game using the native “Always on Top” feature. By undocking the audio mixer and enabling this view mode, you can monitor your stream’s audio levels in real-time without needing a second monitor or constantly alt-tabbing out of your game.

Step 1: Set Your Game to Borderless Windowed Mode

For this method to work, your game must run in Borderless Windowed or Windowed mode. Standard “Exclusive Fullscreen” mode blocks all external windows from rendering on top of the game. Open your game’s video settings and ensure it is set to windowed or borderless.

Step 2: Undock the Audio Mixer in OBS Studio

To isolate the audio mixer from the main OBS interface: 1. Locate the Audio Mixer dock inside OBS Studio. 2. Click and hold the title bar of the Audio Mixer dock. 3. Drag it away from the main OBS window and release it. This “undocks” the mixer, turning it into a standalone, resizable window.

Step 3: Enable “Always on Top” in OBS Studio

With the mixer undocked, you need to tell OBS to keep its windows layered above all other applications: 1. In the top menu bar of OBS Studio, click on View. 2. Select Always on Top from the dropdown menu to enable it.

Because the undocked Audio Mixer is a sub-window of OBS Studio, it inherits this rule and will now stay pinned above other open applications, including your game.

Step 4: Position and Resize the Mixer

1. Click and drag the undocked Audio Mixer window over your game screen.
2. Resize the mixer window by dragging its edges so that it is small enough not to block critical in-game elements, but large enough for you to monitor your decibel meters.
3. You can move the main OBS Studio window to the background or minimize it; the undocked Audio Mixer will remain pinned on top of your game.