Disable Topmost For Floating Windows on Yabai v7

[ericwang401]

I wanted to make this post since Yabai had a lot of breaking changes between major versions, making a lot of old workarounds break and even LLMs struggle too. Configuration like yabai -m config window_topmost off do not work.

I'm in a situation where I sort of want the best of both words where I can freely opt in and out of Yabai because I frequently re-arrange my workspace, so I want to be able to toggle between bsp and floating mode.

This setup currently works on yabai-v7.1.16.

In my skhd config, I added a sub-layer flag to disable the floating on top:

shift + alt - t : yabai -m window --toggle float --grid 4:4:1:1:2:2 --sub-layer below

In my yabairc config, I also added the flag for all apps:

yabai -m rule --add app=".*" manage=off sub-layer=below

Without the sub-layer flag in the Yabai config, new windows will still appear on top until you hit the shift + alt - t toggle.

Here's my entire config if you'd like to copy my hybrid setup:

yabai -m signal --add event=dock_did_restart action="sudo yabai --load-sa"
sudo yabai --load-sa

# default layout (can be bsp, stack or float)
yabai -m config layout bsp

# New window spawns to the right if vertical split, or bottom if horizontal split
yabai -m config window_placement second_child

# padding set to 5px
yabai -m config top_padding 5
yabai -m config bottom_padding 5
yabai -m config left_padding 5
yabai -m config right_padding 5
yabai -m config window_gap 5

# center mouse on window with focus
yabai -m config mouse_follows_focus on

# modifier for clicking and dragging with mouse
yabai -m config mouse_modifier alt
# set modifier + left-click drag to move window
yabai -m config mouse_action1 move
# set modifier + right-click drag to resize window
yabai -m config mouse_action2 resize

# when window is dropped in center of another window, swap them (on edges it will split it)
yabai -m mouse_drop_action swap

# ignore certain applications from being managed by yabai
yabai -m rule --add app=".*" manage=off sub-layer=below
yabai -m rule --add app="CleanShot X" manage=off mouse_follows_focus=off
# This Arc PiP rule broke when they overhauled their PiP implementation in late 2025.
yabai -m rule --add app="^Arc$" title="^$" mouse_follows_focus=off

#yabai -m rule --add app="^System Settings$" manage=off
#yabai -m rule --add app="^Calculator$" manage=off
#yabai -m rule --add app="^CleanShot X$" manage=off

# alt + w/a/s/d = arrow keys

alt - w : skhd -k "up"
alt - s : skhd -k "down"
alt - a : skhd -k "left"
alt - d : skhd -k "right"

# change window focus within space
alt - j : yabai -m window --focus south
alt - k : yabai -m window --focus north
alt - h : yabai -m window --focus west
alt - l : yabai -m window --focus east

#change focus between external displays (left and right)
alt - s: yabai -m display --focus west
alt - g: yabai -m display --focus east

# rotate layout clockwise
shift + alt - r : yabai -m space --rotate 270

# flip along y-axis
shift + alt - y : yabai -m space --mirror y-axis

# flip along x-axis
shift + alt - x : yabai -m space --mirror x-axis

# toggle window float
shift + alt - t : yabai -m window --toggle float --grid 4:4:1:1:2:2 --sub-layer below

# maximize a window
shift + alt - m : yabai -m window --toggle zoom-fullscreen

# balance out tree of windows (resize to occupy same area)
shift + alt - e : yabai -m space --balance

# swap windows
shift + alt - j : yabai -m window --swap south
shift + alt - k : yabai -m window --swap north
shift + alt - h : yabai -m window --swap west
shift + alt - l : yabai -m window --swap east

# move window and split
ctrl + alt - j : yabai -m window --warp south
ctrl + alt - k : yabai -m window --warp north
ctrl + alt - h : yabai -m window --warp west
ctrl + alt - l : yabai -m window --warp east

# move window to display left and right
#shift + alt - s : yabai -m window --display west; yabai -m display --focus west;
#shift + alt - g : yabai -m window --display east; yabai -m display --focus east;

#move window to prev and next space
shift + alt - p : yabai -m window --space prev;
shift + alt - n : yabai -m window --space next;

# move window to display # (physical monitors)
shift + alt - 1 : yabai -m window --display 1; yabai -m display --focus 1;
shift + alt - 2 : yabai -m window --display 2; yabai -m display --focus 2;
shift + alt - 3 : yabai -m window --display 3; yabai -m display --focus 3;

# change current space

alt - 1 : yabai -m space --focus 1
alt - 2 : yabai -m space --focus 2
alt - 3 : yabai -m space --focus 3

# move window to space # (virtual desktops)
#shift + alt - 1 : yabai -m window --space 1;
#shift + alt - 2 : yabai -m window --space 2;
#shift + alt - 3 : yabai -m window --space 3;
#shift + alt - 4 : yabai -m window --space 4;
#shift + alt - 5 : yabai -m window --space 5;
#shift + alt - 6 : yabai -m window --space 6;
#shift + alt - 7 : yabai -m window --space 7;

# cycle through stack windows
alt - n : yabai -m window --focus stack.next || yabai -m window --focus stack.first
alt - p : yabai -m window --focus stack.prev || yabai -m window --focus stack.last

# toggle between bsp and stack layout
shift + alt - space : bash -c 'yabai -m query --spaces --space | jq -re ".type" | grep -q stack && yabai -m space --layout bsp || yabai -m space --layout stack'

# stop/start/restart yabai
ctrl + alt - q : yabai --stop-service
ctrl + alt - s : yabai --start-service
ctrl + alt - r : yabai --restart-service

[ericwang401]

Ok, for some reason, that config bugs out for Adobe apps, notably Lightroom Classic and Premiere Pro. For Premiere Pro, they use a special window type (using the accessibility API) such that it's not classified as a "real" window according to Yabai source code.

So these apps' windows would appear topmost on first creation and would go to normal behavior if you toggle using shift + option + t using my skhd config above.

But here's a new config to patch this:

yabai -m signal --add event=dock_did_restart action="sudo yabai --load-sa"
sudo yabai --load-sa

# default layout (can be bsp, stack or float)
yabai -m config layout bsp

# New window spawns to the right if vertical split, or bottom if horizontal split
yabai -m config window_placement second_child

# padding set to 5px
yabai -m config top_padding 5
yabai -m config bottom_padding 5
yabai -m config left_padding 5
yabai -m config right_padding 5
yabai -m config window_gap 5

# center mouse on window with focus
yabai -m config mouse_follows_focus on

# modifier for clicking and dragging with mouse
yabai -m config mouse_modifier alt
# set modifier + left-click drag to move window
yabai -m config mouse_action1 move
# set modifier + right-click drag to resize window
yabai -m config mouse_action2 resize

# when window is dropped in center of another window, swap them (on edges it will split it)
yabai -m mouse_drop_action swap

# Disable yabai's automatic sub-layer management. By default, yabai pushes tiled
# windows to LAYER_BELOW and leaves floating windows at LAYER_NORMAL, making floats
# appear "always on top". Setting sub-layer=normal on all windows opts them out of
# this automatic adjustment entirely (window_manager_adjust_layer becomes a no-op
# when layer != LAYER_AUTO), so all windows stay at the same level.
yabai -m rule --add app=".*" manage=off sub-layer=normal
yabai -m rule --add app="CleanShot X" manage=off mouse_follows_focus=off
# This Arc PiP rule broke when they overhauled their PiP implementation in late 2025.
yabai -m rule --add app="^Arc$" title="^$" mouse_follows_focus=off

#yabai -m rule --add app="^System Settings$" manage=off
#yabai -m rule --add app="^Calculator$" manage=off
#yabai -m rule --add app="^CleanShot X$" manage=off

# On yabai restart, rules don't retroactively apply sub-layer to pre-existing windows.
# Force sub-layer=normal on all windows after startup to match the rule.
sleep 1 && yabai -m query --windows | python3 -c "
import json, sys, os
for w in json.load(sys.stdin):
    if w['sub-layer'] != 'normal':
        os.system(f\"yabai -m window {w['id']} --sub-layer normal\")
" &

# alt + w/a/s/d = arrow keys

alt - w : skhd -k "up"
alt - s : skhd -k "down"
alt - a : skhd -k "left"
alt - d : skhd -k "right"

# change window focus within space
alt - j : yabai -m window --focus south
alt - k : yabai -m window --focus north
alt - h : yabai -m window --focus west
alt - l : yabai -m window --focus east

#change focus between external displays (left and right)
alt - s: yabai -m display --focus west
alt - g: yabai -m display --focus east

# rotate layout clockwise
shift + alt - r : yabai -m space --rotate 270

# flip along y-axis
shift + alt - y : yabai -m space --mirror y-axis

# flip along x-axis
shift + alt - x : yabai -m space --mirror x-axis

# toggle window float
shift + alt - t : yabai -m window --toggle float --grid 4:4:1:1:2:2

# maximize a window
shift + alt - m : yabai -m window --toggle zoom-fullscreen

# balance out tree of windows (resize to occupy same area)
shift + alt - e : yabai -m space --balance

# swap windows
shift + alt - j : yabai -m window --swap south
shift + alt - k : yabai -m window --swap north
shift + alt - h : yabai -m window --swap west
shift + alt - l : yabai -m window --swap east

# move window and split
ctrl + alt - j : yabai -m window --warp south
ctrl + alt - k : yabai -m window --warp north
ctrl + alt - h : yabai -m window --warp west
ctrl + alt - l : yabai -m window --warp east

# move window to display left and right
#shift + alt - s : yabai -m window --display west; yabai -m display --focus west;
#shift + alt - g : yabai -m window --display east; yabai -m display --focus east;

#move window to prev and next space
shift + alt - p : yabai -m window --space prev;
shift + alt - n : yabai -m window --space next;

# move window to display # (physical monitors)
shift + alt - 1 : yabai -m window --display 1; yabai -m display --focus 1;
shift + alt - 2 : yabai -m window --display 2; yabai -m display --focus 2;
shift + alt - 3 : yabai -m window --display 3; yabai -m display --focus 3;

# change current space

alt - 1 : yabai -m space --focus 1
alt - 2 : yabai -m space --focus 2
alt - 3 : yabai -m space --focus 3
alt - 4 : yabai -m space --focus 4
alt - 5 : yabai -m space --focus 5

# move window to space # (virtual desktops)
#shift + alt - 1 : yabai -m window --space 1;
#shift + alt - 2 : yabai -m window --space 2;
#shift + alt - 3 : yabai -m window --space 3;
#shift + alt - 4 : yabai -m window --space 4;
#shift + alt - 5 : yabai -m window --space 5;
#shift + alt - 6 : yabai -m window --space 6;
#shift + alt - 7 : yabai -m window --space 7;

# cycle through stack windows
alt - n : yabai -m window --focus stack.next || yabai -m window --focus stack.first
alt - p : yabai -m window --focus stack.prev || yabai -m window --focus stack.last

# toggle between bsp and stack layout
shift + alt - space : bash -c 'yabai -m query --spaces --space | jq -re ".type" | grep -q stack && yabai -m space --layout bsp || yabai -m space --layout stack'

# stop/start/restart yabai
ctrl + alt - q : yabai --stop-service
ctrl + alt - s : yabai --start-service
ctrl + alt - r : yabai --restart-service