This is how you use the interactive corners on your Mac

What are Interactive Corners on Mac?

You can link a specific function to each corner of your Mac screen. This allows you, for example, to quickly open the overview of all your apps by simply moving your arrow to a corner of the screen. There are various options to adjust interactive corners, with which you can open frequently used Mac functions faster than, for example, via a key combination. In English this function is also called hot corners.

• Set up
• To use
• With button

How can I set up interactive corners?

Setting up an interactive corner is easy. To adjust the interactive corners:

1. Open System Settings ( > System Settings) and click the Desktop and Dock menu.
2. Scroll all the way down and click on Interactive Corners at the bottom right.
3. You can now set an action for each of the four corners. Select an option for each corner you want to use. If you don’t want to use a corner, you can leave it empty.

There are a number of actions that you can link to a corner of the screen. You can choose from the following options:

• mission control
• App windows
• Desktop
• Notification center
• Launch pad
• Quick note
• Screen saver (enable and disable)
• Display in sleep mode
• Access screen

How can I use interactive corners?

All you have to do to use interactive corners is move your cursor to the appropriate corner. You don’t have to click. The linked action is then immediately executed as soon as your arrow is completely in the corner. Just make sure that you don’t accidentally end up with your cursor in the corner, because you will then unintentionally activate the linked action. This can be especially annoying when turning on the screen saver, so it is best to link this action to the corner you least often accidentally access.

The most convenient and efficient actions are quickly showing your desktop, opening Mission Control, and opening Notification Center.

Also keep in mind that if you use a second screen for your Mac, the corner may move from your main screen to the corner of the external display. By arranging the displays, you determine which corner of your main screen is available. You can read how to set this in our tip.

Interactive corners with button to prevent accidental activation

The crosses to close windows are usually at the top left, making this the corner you come near most often. If you are afraid that you will accidentally activate the action, it is best to leave it empty. But there is another way, because you can also combine the interactive corners with the push of a button. This means that the corresponding action will only be activated if you hold down the set button. This will prevent it from being accidentally activated.

You set this up as follows:

1. Open System Settings ( > System Settings) and click the Desktop and Dock menu.
2. Scroll all the way down and click on Interactive Corners at the bottom right.
3. Press and hold a button on your keyboard. You can set Shift, Control, Option and Command in combination with an interactive corner. You can even combine them for a longer button combination.
4. You can now set an action for each of the four corners. Select the option for the corner where you also want to hold down a button.
5. Next to all the options of your selected corner, the icon of the button you pressed will appear. Select the desired option.

In the future, the hot corner will only be activated if you also hold down the set button.

If you don’t know what Mission Control is, you can read more about it in our separate tip.