How to open a Quick Note on a Mac from anywhere

Quick Note opens a small note over whatever you are doing, from a hot corner, a shortcut or Safari. How to set it up, and where the notes are kept.

Guide · Updated 22 October 2026

What is Quick Note?

A small note window that opens on top of whatever you are doing. Type, then close it. It is saved in the Notes app, in a folder called Quick Notes, and syncs to your other devices through iCloud.

How do I open a Quick Note?

  • Hot corner: System Settings, Desktop & Dock, Hot Corners…, and set a corner to Quick Note. Push the pointer into that corner to open one.
  • Keyboard: Keyboard Shortcuts lists a Quick Note shortcut. On many Macs it is the globe key with Q; check yours there.
  • Safari: with a page open, use Add to Quick Note from the Share menu to save the page with a link.

Where do my Quick Notes go?

Open Notes and look for the Quick Notes folder in the sidebar. Move a note to another folder to keep it with related notes.

How is it different from Stickies?

Quick Note is for capturing and then getting out of the way; the note closes and syncs. Stickies are for keeping something on screen while you work.

Set up corners: hot corners, and if they stopped responding, hot corners not working.

Checked on 22 October 2026 on a MacBook Air (M1) running macOS 27.0.1: Quick Note appears both as a hot corner choice in Desktop & Dock and in Keyboard Shortcuts, and Safari offers Add to Quick Note.

Questions

How do I open Quick Note on a Mac?

Set a hot corner to Quick Note in Desktop & Dock, or use its shortcut from Keyboard Shortcuts.

Where are Quick Notes saved?

In the Quick Notes folder in the Notes app.

Do Quick Notes sync to iPhone?

Yes, through iCloud, like other notes.

Read next