If you watch a power user navigate their Mac, you might notice windows flying around, the desktop instantly appearing, or the screen saver activating without them ever touching the keyboard. Their secret is a hidden, built-in macOS feature called Hot Corners. By learning how to use hot corners on Mac, you can turn the four extreme corners of your screen into highly sensitive, time-saving trigger points.
In this guide, we will show you exactly how to set up Hot Corners and share some practical ways to integrate them into your daily workflow.
What Are Hot Corners?
Hot Corners is an accessibility and productivity feature native to macOS. It allows you to assign a specific action to each of the four corners of your monitor. When you violently flick your mouse cursor into one of those corners, the Mac instantly triggers your chosen action. It is much faster than finding an icon in your Dock or remembering a complex keyboard shortcut.
How to Configure Hot Corners
Setting up your corners takes only a few clicks inside the System Settings application.
- Click the Apple logo () in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu (or System Preferences if you are on an older version of macOS).
- Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Desktop & Dock.
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of the right-hand pane and click the Hot Corners… button.
- A small dialogue box will appear, representing your screen. You will see four drop-down menus, one for each corner.
- Click a drop-down menu and select the action you want to assign to that specific corner.
- Click Done to save your changes.
The Best Hot Corner Actions for Productivity
You can assign a variety of different tasks to your corners, but some are definitely more useful than others. Here are our top recommendations for a streamlined workflow:
Desktop (Bottom Right)
If you frequently need to drag and drop files from your desktop into an email or a browser window, assigning “Desktop” to a corner is life-changing. Flick your mouse to the corner, and all your open windows will instantly scatter, revealing your desktop files. Grab your file, flick back to the corner, and your windows will snap back into place.
Mission Control (Top Left)
When you have twenty different application windows open, finding the right one can be frustrating. Assigning “Mission Control” to a corner allows you to instantly see a bird’s-eye view of every open window on your Mac, making it incredibly easy to switch tasks.
Lock Screen (Bottom Left)
If you work in a busy office or a public café, security is paramount. By setting a corner to “Lock Screen”, you can instantly secure your Mac the moment you stand up from your desk, without needing to press the power button or navigate any menus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stop Hot Corners from triggering accidentally?
Yes. If you find yourself accidentally triggering actions when you just wanted to click a menu, you can add a modifier key. When selecting an action in the Hot Corners menu, hold down the Command, Option, Control, or Shift key. Now, that corner will only trigger if you hold that specific key down while moving your mouse.
Do Hot Corners work on external monitors?
Yes, Hot Corners translate seamlessly to external displays. The actions will trigger in the absolute furthest corners of your total extended desktop space.
By taking five minutes to customise your Hot Corners, you can significantly reduce friction in your daily computing and navigate your Mac like a true professional.
