How to run any app in Picture in Picture mode on Window 10
Windows 10 has a mini player for two apps; Groove and Movies & TV. Other apps can add the mini view but not many appear to have done so. If you watch videos online, you can install an app called Compact View which lets you view any website in the mini mode. The mini mode is basically picture in picture mode for Windows 10 and if you need to run a desktop app in picture in picture mode, you need an app called PiP Tool.
Apps in Picture in Picture mode
Download and install PiP Tool. It’s a free, open source app that’s available on Github. Run the app that you want to use in picture in picture mode, and then run the PiP Tool app. It will add a bar that sticks to the top of your screen. You can slide it around but it sticks to the top.
Click the dropdown arrow on the bar, and select the app that you want to run in picture in picture mode.
This will maximize the app. Select the area of it that you want to pin to your desktop. You can select the entire window, or just a portion of it. Once you’ve selected the app area you want to pin, click the check mark button on PiP tool’s bar at the top.
The picture in picture mode window lets you exit it, or select a different window. When you close the picture in picture view for an app, it does not close the original app window.
This works for any app including Rainmeter skins. Compact View is for websites and PiP tool is for apps.
The mini view on Windows 10 is pretty great but not a lot of apps appear to be on-board with it just yet. It was added a good while back and if you use the Groove or Movies & TV app, you probably know it’s useful. Netflix is one of those rare few apps that has added support for it. We assume that it’s only media apps like Netflix that need to add support for it but picture in picture is useful for all sorts of apps. It’s not just a convenient way to watch movies. Often, if you don’t have multiple desktops to organize windows on to, picture in picture mode can be a reasonably good stand-in.
If you need to pin an image to the top of your screen, give ScreenDragons2 a try.
