How to use and customize the new Quick Note feature in macOS Monterey

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How to use Quick Note in macOS Monterey
Start a new note in an instant.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

macOS Monterey includes the same Quick Note feature that’s baked into iPadOS 15. Using it is incredibly simple, and it’s a great way to quickly jot down important information — such as phone numbers, email addresses, and appointments — that you don’t want to forgot.

We’ll show you how to use it, and how to customize the Quick Note feature on Mac to suit you.

Quick Note is a fast and super-simple way to start a new note. It saves you from having to open the Notes app, wait for it to load, and then start a new note. It takes just a click, and it’s ready to go in under a second.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to use the Quick Note feature in macOS Monterey — and how to adjust its settings to suit you.

How to use Quick Note in macOS Monterey

By default, the Quick Note feature appears in the bottom-right corner of your Mac’s desktop. To activate it, you simple need to drag your mouse pointer to that corner of the screen. When the Quick Note button appears, click it.

How to use Quick Note in macOS Monterey
After clicking the Quick Note button, a new note appears instantly.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You will then be presented with a new note — or your last Quick Note if you’ve already used the feature before. Your Quick Note is automatically saved when you close the window, and you can find it inside the Notes app. You’ll notice that a new folder appears specifically for your Quick Notes.

How to customize Quick Note on Mac

There are a couple of ways to customize Quick Note on Mac. If you would prefer to assign the feature to a different corner of your screen, you can do this within the Mission Control settings inside System Preferences.

Open the System Preferences app, then click Mission Control. Click the Hot Corners button in the bottom-left corner of the window. Use the drop-down boxes that appear to assign Quick Note to another corner of the screen — or to multiple corners if you want to.

How to use Quick Note in macOS Monterey
You can choose which corner of your desktop activates Quick Note.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you want to start a new note every time you use Quick Note — rather than opening an existing one — follow these steps:

  1. Open the Notes app.
  2. In your Mac’s menu bar, click Notes, then click Preferences…
  3. Click Resume last Quick Note to disable this option.
How to use Quick Note in macOS Monterey
You can start a new note every time if you want to.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Sadly, there is no way to save Quick Notes to another folder (other than the default Quick Notes folder) inside the Notes app. However, you can move Quick Notes out of that folder and into another after they’re been saved.

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