Configure Hot Corners from the Terminal

Hot corner keys live in com.apple.dock; writing wvous-*-corner assigns an action to each screen corner.

macOSdesktopsettingsproductivityMedium risk

Run the command to make the top-left corner show Mission Control (code 2); assign other corners with tl/tr/bl/br.

01Command

Command

$ defaults write com.apple.dock wvous-tl-corner -int 2 && defaults write com.apple.dock wvous-tl-modifier -int 0 && killall Dock

02What it does

Hot corners turn a screen corner into a one-flick shortcut: code 5 starts the screen saver (an instant lock if you require a password), 14 opens Quick Note, 4 sweeps windows aside to show the desktop, and 6 stops the screen saver from starting while watching a video. The wvous-tl-corner key names the action for top-left, and wvous-tl-modifier 0 means the corner fires with no modifier key held. killall Dock applies the change immediately; the corners work in any app, full screen included.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

Requirementstl = top-left; use tr (top-right), bl (bottom-left), br (bottom-right) for other corners. Code 14 = Quick Note, 5 = Start Screen Saver, 6 = Disable Screen Saver, 4 = Desktop, 3 = Notification Center, 13 = Lock Screen.

04Undo

Undo

$ defaults delete com.apple.dock wvous-tl-corner && killall Dock

05Sources

defaults — read and write user defaults (macOS man page)
SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
Evidence: Documents defaults write with the com.apple.dock domain and killall to apply Dock preference changes.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: System & Settings

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