How to Configure Hot Corners in macOS 13

Hot Corners in macOS 13 Ventura allow you to trigger convenient system shortcuts—such as opening Mission Control, viewing your desktop, or locking your screen—simply by moving your mouse pointer into any corner of your display. This guide provides a straightforward walkthrough on how to access the redesigned System Settings, assign specific shortcuts to each corner, and use modifier keys to prevent accidental activations.

Steps to Set Up Hot Corners

  1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.
  2. In the left sidebar, click Desktop & Dock.
  3. Scroll to the very bottom of the right-hand panel and click the Hot Corners... button in the lower-right corner.
  4. In the dialog box that appears, you will see four dropdown menus representing the four corners of your display:
    • Top Left
    • Top Right
    • Bottom Left
    • Bottom Right
  5. Click the dropdown menu for the corner you want to configure and choose an action:
    • Mission Control: View all open windows and spaces.
    • Application Windows: View open windows of the active application.
    • Desktop: Hide all windows to reveal your desktop.
    • Notification Center: Open widgets and notifications.
    • Launchpad: View all installed applications.
    • Quick Note: Open a floating Apple Notes window.
    • Start Screen Saver: Immediately activate the screensaver.
    • Disable Screen Saver: Prevent the screensaver from turning on while the pointer rests there.
    • Put Display to Sleep: Turn off display backlighting immediately.
    • Lock Screen: Instantly lock your Mac.
    • - (Dash): Disables the corner.
  6. Click Done to save your changes.

Prevent Accidental Triggers with Modifier Keys

If you frequently bump your mouse pointer into the edges of the screen by mistake, you can require a keyboard shortcut to activate a Hot Corner:

  1. Open the Hot Corners... menu again via System Settings > Desktop & Dock.
  2. Press and hold one or more modifier keys (Command (⌘), Option (⌥), Control (⌃), or Shift (⇧)).
  3. While holding the modifier key(s), click the dropdown menu for the desired corner.
  4. Select your preferred action and release the modifier key. The shortcut symbol will now appear next to the action name.
  5. Click Done. The action will now only trigger if the selected modifier key is held down when your pointer reaches that corner.