Hello, how are you? Maybe you’ve heard of hot corners. Indeed, this is a typical function of macOS, very popular also among Linux users. Also, because it is so easy to use it is often addictive to users. If you don’t know the function, then this will sound strange. But believe me, once you try it, it’s hard to keep moving around the desk without using it. On the other hand, Windows does not include this function in the operating system. But don’t worry, today we will see how to activate hot corners in Windows 10.
Microsoft does not yet enable the use of hot corners in Windows 10.
We all know Microsoft’s policy. They tend to be very closed in many aspects. Of course, gestures and keyboards would not be the exception. Perhaps that is why they are still reluctant to apply this improvement within the system. Well, at this point you may wonder what the hot corners are. It is actually the option that by moving the cursor to the four corners of the screen, a specific action is executed. The most common is the upper left corner and display all open windows in mosaic. In addition, it is possible to customize the gestures. However, this is the most popular.
Microsoft introduced the task view.
It is important to clarify that since Windows 8, Microsoft implemented something similar to hot corners. This function, called task view, still exists in Windows 10. On the contrary, we talk about an evolution of the classic view of tasks. However, it is not the old one that showed the open windows when pressing the combination Alt+Tab.
The new Windows 10 task view is included as a button on the taskbar. To use it just press the Win+Tab combination and the open windows will be shown with a timescale.
How to use hot corners in Windows 10
As mentioned, there are no native hot corner options in Windows 10. The stable version dates from 2015, however there is a beta version from 2019 that works very well. It is also free and open source software. Additionally, it does not need installation as such since it is a compressed file. That is, you just have to unzip it and run it in any folder. The first thing you have to do is download the version from this link. After running, WinXCorners is placed on the taskbar. In addition, its operation is very simple since it is enough to assign the action for each corner. By default the options are these:
- All windows
- Show desktop
- Start Screen saver
- Monitor off
- Action center
- Hide Other Windows
Also, using the context menu you can go to the advanced options. Once there you can set the speed of the animations or add custom commands, for example to launch a particular application. In addition, the application allows you to disable the functionality globally. This way you can avoid mishaps when playing games or using full screen applications.
Although it is not a perfect solution, as it has some flaws. For example, limited support for multiple monitors. However, it is the best option to activate hot corners in Windows 10. Bye!