Starting with iPadOS 15, Apple introduced a feature called “Quick Note.” If you take your finger or an Apple Pencil and swipe diagonally upwards from the bottom-right corner of your iPad screen, a small notepad window instantly floats over whatever application you are currently using. This is intended to let you quickly jot down a phone number or sketch a diagram without having to exit your current workflow.
However, if you play fast-paced games, use digital painting apps (like Procreate), or simply hold your iPad near the bottom right corner, you will almost certainly trigger this gesture by accident constantly. Having a large white notepad violently interrupt your drawing or gaming session is incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, Apple allows you to turn this specific corner gesture off completely.
Disabling the Corner Swipe Gesture
The toggle to disable this feature is not located within the general touch or display settings, but rather within the specific multitasking and gesture configurations.
- Unlock your iPad and open the Settings app.
- Scroll down the main list of options on the left-hand side and tap on Multitasking & Gestures (on older versions of iPadOS, this might be located under Apple Pencil or Notes settings, but it has since been centralised).
- Scroll down to the bottom of the right-hand panel until you see a section titled Corner Gestures.
- Tap on Right Corner Swipe.
- You will see a list of actions assigned to that corner. It is likely currently set to “Quick Note.”
- Tap on Off to completely disable the gesture.
You can now swipe furiously in the bottom right corner of your screen while gaming or drawing, and the Quick Note window will never appear again.
How to Access Quick Notes Without the Gesture
Disabling the corner swipe does not delete the Quick Note feature entirely; it only removes the physical trigger. If you still want to use floating notes occasionally, you have two alternative methods to summon them.
First, you can add a dedicated Quick Note button to your Control Centre (Settings > Control Centre). You can then simply swipe down from the top right corner of your screen (near the battery icon) and tap the button to open a note deliberately.
Second, if you use a physical keyboard with your iPad, you can press the Globe Key + Q at any time to instantly summon the Quick Note window without touching the screen.