How to turn off the Quick Note hot corner on a Mac
The bottom right hot corner is set to Quick Note by default, according to Apple. To stop the pointer opening it, open System Settings, click Desktop and Dock in the sidebar (you may need to scroll), click Hot Corners, change the pop up menu for the bottom right corner to a different action, then click Done.
Steps
- Open System Settings.
- Click Desktop & Dock in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
- Click Hot Corners.
- Find the bottom right corner. Its pop up menu is set to Quick Note.
- Click the pop up menu and choose a different action. Apple’s page gives Notification Center, Apps and Lock Screen as examples of actions.
- Click Done.
Use a modifier key instead
Apple says you can add a modifier key to a corner’s action: press and hold Command, Shift, Option or Control, or a combination, while you are viewing the pop up menus. The corner then fires only when you hold the key. That keeps Quick Note on the corner without accidental triggers.
Which name does your Mac use
Apple’s hot corners page tells you to go to the System Settings app and click Desktop & Dock. Its version selector lists macOS releases back to High Sierra, and Apple does not say on that page which release first used which name. If your Mac shows different wording, check your macOS version with how to check your macOS version.
What about the keyboard shortcut
Hot corners and the Fn or Globe and Q shortcut are separate ways to open Quick Note. Changing the corner does not change the shortcut. Apple’s Quick Note page documents the shortcut as holding Fn or Globe and pressing Q. See Quick Note keyboard shortcut.
When you want a note tool with no corner
NotchStar’s Quick Notes opens only when you hover the notch, with no screen corner involved. It is a plain text scratchpad, not the Apple Quick Note feature. For the feature itself, see how to use Quick Note. Notes also saves each Quick Note in one place, described in where Quick Notes are saved.
