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How to set up hot corners on a Mac

Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock, scroll down and click Hot Corners. Pick an action for each corner, like Lock Screen.

How to do it

  1. Open System Settings > Desktop & Dock.

  2. Scroll down and click Hot Corners.

  3. Pick Lock Screen for a corner you can hit when you stand up. Pick Notification Center or Desktop for the others if you want them.

  4. Hold Command, Option, Control, or Shift while choosing the action if you want that corner to require the key. Accidental locks are how people turn the feature off again.

Quick Note in the bottom-right corner is useful if you leave it. Move the pointer there and a note opens. Change it if you keep creating empty notes by accident.

Questions people ask

How do I stop triggering hot corners by accident?

Hold Command, Option, Control or Shift while you pick the action. That corner then only works with the key held down.

Why does a note open in the bottom-right corner?

That corner is set to Quick Note out of the box. Change it in the same Hot Corners menu.

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