How to Change the Scroll Direction on a Mac

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A guide to changing the mouse wheel or trackpad scrolling direction on a MacBook or Mac desktop

Co-authored by Stan Kats and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: April 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Trackpad Scrolling
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• Mouse Wheel Scrolling
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• Video
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• Tips

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To change the scroll direction for your Mac's trackpad, click the Apple menu → click System Settings → select Trackpad → click Scroll & Zoom → toggle Natural scrolling on or off. The process is almost identical for a mouse.

Things You Should Know

• For a trackpad, you'll find scrolling preferences in System Settings > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom.
• For a mouse, including Apple Magic Mouse, your preferences are in System Settings > Mouse.
• Toggle the “Natural scrolling” switch on or off to reverse the scrolling direction.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Trackpad Scrolling

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1. 1
   Click the Apple menu. This is the

   

   Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen.
2. 2
   Click System Settings. In older versions of macOS, select System Preferences instead.
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3. 3
   Click Trackpad. You may need to scroll down in the menu bar on the left side of the System Settings window to find it. In earlier versions of macOS, it will be in the main System Preferences window.

   • You can change many things in your trackpad settings, like tracking speed and double-click speed.
4. 4
   Click the Scroll & Zoom tab. It’s at the top of the window.
5. 5
   Click the Natural scrolling toggle switch. When this is enabled, swiping down on the trackpad with two fingers will scroll up and vice-versa. When this is disabled, swiping down will scroll down.

   • In older macOS versions, you’ll see a checkbox instead of a toggle switch next to the text Scroll direction: Natural.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Mouse Wheel Scrolling

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1. 1
   Click the Apple menu. Click the

   

   Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen.
2. 2
   Click System Settings. In older macOS versions, you’ll see System Preferences instead.
3. 3
   Click Mouse. If a mouse is hooked up to your Mac, you’ll see this option in the menu on the left side of the System Settings window. You may have to scroll down to find it.

   • In older versions of macOS, look for the Mouse icon in the main System Preferences window.
4. 4
   Click the Natural scrolling toggle switch. When this is enabled, moving the wheel down will scroll up and vice-versa. If you disable this option, moving the wheel down will scroll down, and moving it up will scroll up.

   • If you’re using an older macOS version, you may see a check box next to Scroll direction: Natural instead.
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Video

Tips

• If your Mac has both a trackpad and a mouse, changing the scroll direction for one will also change it for the other. If you want to change them independently, you’ll need a third-party app such as Scroll Reverser, Unnatural Scroll Wheels, or MOS.
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