Hot Corners are one of the Mac’s best hidden features. You move your pointer into a corner of the screen and something happens instantly. Your Mac can lock, show the desktop, or open a Quick Note, all without touching the keyboard.
How to set up Hot Corners
- Open System Settings.
- Click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar.
- Scroll right to the bottom and click Hot Corners….
- You’ll see four menus, one for each corner of the screen. Choose an action for any corner you want to use.
- Click Done.
Now push the pointer firmly into that corner to try it out.
What can a Hot Corner do?
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mission Control | Shows all your open windows and desktops |
| Application Windows | Shows all windows of the current app |
| Desktop | Moves everything aside to reveal the desktop |
| Notification Centre | Opens your notifications and widgets |
| Launchpad / Apps | Shows all your apps (name varies by macOS version) |
| Quick Note | Opens a new note, even on top of other apps |
| Start Screen Saver | Starts the screen saver |
| Disable Screen Saver | Stops the screen saver starting while the pointer is there |
| Put Display to Sleep | Turns the screen off |
| Lock Screen | Locks your Mac instantly |
A good starter setup
- Top-left: Mission Control. See everything at once.
- Top-right: Notification Centre. Check notifications and widgets.
- Bottom-left: Desktop. Grab a file from your desktop quickly.
- Bottom-right: Lock Screen. Lock your Mac as you walk away.
Tip: By default, Quick Note is often set on the bottom-right corner. If notes keep popping up by accident, that’s why.
Stop accidental triggers with modifier keys
If you keep setting off Hot Corners by accident, add a modifier key:
- Go back to System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Hot Corners….
- Hold down Command, Option, Control or Shift (or a combination) while you open a corner’s menu and choose an action.
- The action now shows the key symbol, for example ⌘ Lock Screen.
That corner will now only work when you’re holding that key.
How to turn a Hot Corner off
Open the Hot Corners settings and set the corner’s menu to the dash (–) option.
Wrapping up
Start with just one or two corners. Lock Screen and Desktop are the most useful for most people. After a week you’ll use them without thinking.
