Mac trackpad shortcuts: add corner taps for mute, lock and Mission Control
Written by GuruHat, which makes TocaPad.
Short answer: macOS has Hot Corners, but they react to the pointer reaching a screen corner, and they can't mute or play music. There is no built-in shortcut for the corners of the trackpad itself.
To add them, install TocaPad, a free open-source Mac app. Double-tap a trackpad corner to run the action you picked.
What macOS already gives you
- Hot Corners. System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Hot Corners lets you push the pointer into a screen corner to open Mission Control, show the desktop, start the screen saver, lock the screen and a few more. The pointer has to travel to the corner, and there is no mute, play or pause.
- Trackpad gestures. System Settings › Trackpad has swipes for Mission Control, App Exposé, Launchpad and the desktop. None of them are tied to a corner.
- Keyboard shortcuts. System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts, for example Control Command Q to lock the screen. These need the keyboard.
Turn the trackpad corners into shortcuts
- Install TocaPad (download it, or run
brew install --cask getguruhat/tap/tocapad) and open it from the menu bar. - In its settings, pick a corner and choose an action.
- Double-tap that corner of the trackpad.
Actions you can put on a corner: mute, play or pause, skip a track, Mission Control, show the desktop, lock your Mac, take a screenshot, open an app, or press any shortcut you record. Every corner starts empty, so nothing happens until you choose.
Ideas for the four corners
| Corner | Good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Top right | Mute | Next to the volume level that shows on screen |
| Top left | Mission Control | Matches where Hot Corners users already put it |
| Bottom right | Play or pause | Easy to reach with a thumb or finger while you listen |
| Bottom left | Lock screen | Hard to hit by mistake, quick when you step away |
Built-in versus TocaPad
| Hot Corners | Trackpad gestures | TocaPad | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Pointer in a screen corner | Swipes | Double-tap a trackpad corner |
| Mute, play, skip | No | No | Yes |
| Record your own shortcut | No | No | Yes |
| Price | Built in | Built in | Free, open source |
Avoiding accidental taps
- The trigger is a double-tap, not a single touch.
- A touch right after a key press is ignored, so a resting palm won't fire a corner.
- A second finger cancels the gesture, so scrolling, pinching and swiping work as before.
What to know before installing
- TocaPad needs macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon, with the built-in trackpad or a Magic Trackpad.
- Media keys and shortcuts on a corner need Accessibility access. Nothing else does. There is no account and no analytics, and the app only checks GitHub once a day for a new version.
- The same app also changes volume and brightness by sliding along the trackpad edges. See how to change Mac volume and brightness from the trackpad.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Mac have hot corners for the trackpad?
macOS Hot Corners react to the pointer reaching a screen corner, not to a touch on the trackpad corner. You set them in System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Hot Corners. For corners of the trackpad itself, TocaPad turns a double-tap on each corner into an action.
Can I make a Mac trackpad shortcut to lock the screen?
Yes. Hot Corners can lock the screen, or you can press Control-Command-Q. To do it from the trackpad, assign Lock Screen to a corner in TocaPad and double-tap that corner.
Can I mute my Mac or pause music from the trackpad?
macOS has no built-in trackpad gesture for either. TocaPad can mute, play or pause and skip tracks from a double-tap on a trackpad corner. Media keys need Accessibility access.
Will corner taps trigger by accident?
TocaPad uses a double-tap, a touch on a corner right after a key press is ignored, and every corner starts empty, so nothing fires until you pick an action.
Is TocaPad free?
Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT license, with no account and no analytics. Download it from guruhat.com or run brew install --cask getguruhat/tap/tocapad.