Hot Corners on a Mac: how to set them and what to use them for

Push the pointer into a corner of the screen to show the desktop, open Mission Control or lock the Mac. How to set them up without triggering them by accident.

Guide · Updated 13 October 2026

Hot Corners run an action when you push the pointer into a corner of the screen. They are fast, and easy to trigger by mistake.

Setting them up

  1. Open System Settings, Desktop & Dock.
  2. Scroll down and click Hot Corners.
  3. Pick an action for each corner.
  4. Hold ⌘, ⌥, ⌃ or ⇧ while choosing to make that corner need the key too. This stops accidents.

Good choices

  • Mission Control in a top corner: the quickest way to see everything.
  • Desktop in a bottom corner: get to files on the desktop.
  • Lock Screen with a modifier: lock as you walk away.
  • Quick Note is often on by default in the bottom right. Turn it off if notes keep appearing.

Hot Corners with a window manager

They work alongside ClutterFreeMac. One tip: if the strip dock is set to auto hide at the bottom of the screen, avoid a bottom corner action you trigger often, so the two do not compete for the same edge.

Questions

How do I stop Hot Corners triggering by accident?

Hold a modifier key such as `⌘` while choosing the action. The corner then only works with that key held.

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