A Hot Corner lets you trigger an action from a corner of your screen. In macOS, you can assign a corner to Desktop to temporarily move windows aside and reach your desktop. To hide all windows instead, set up a Hot Corner in Hidy.
Show the desktop with a macOS Hot Corner
You do not need an extra app to reach the desktop from a screen corner:
- Open System Settings.
- Select Desktop & Dock in the sidebar.
- Click Hot Corners.
- Choose a corner and select Desktop from its menu.
- Click Done, then move the pointer into that corner to try it.
This uses macOS Show Desktop. It temporarily moves windows aside; it does not hide each app or minimize each window into the Dock.
If you keep triggering the corner accidentally, add a modifier key. Hold Command, Shift, Option, or Control while choosing the action in the corner’s menu. You will then need to hold that key when moving into the corner. Apple explains this in Use hot corners on Mac.
Hide all windows with Hidy
Set up Hidy’s Hot Corner in its own settings, separately from macOS Hot Corners.
- Download Hidy from the App Store and open it.
- Open Hidy’s Settings.
- Set Hot Corner to Bottom Left or Bottom Right.
- Choose an Activation option:
- Hover hides windows when you move the pointer into the corner.
- Click Button reveals a button at the corner; click it to hide windows.
- Click Corner hides windows when you click the corner itself.
- Return to your work and try the corner.
Use the same Hot Corner again to bring the hidden windows back. Finder windows remain visible, so use the built-in Desktop action if you need to reach something behind a Finder window.
Keep one action per corner
Before assigning a corner in Hidy, check whether macOS already uses it for Quick Note, Desktop, or another action. Choose a different corner or remove the macOS assignment so one movement does not trigger two actions.
If you prefer to keep screen corners free, Hidy also works from the menu bar. You can also choose a keyboard shortcut for the same hiding action.