How to Turn On or Off Scroll Inactive Windows in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off scroll inactive windows when hovering over them in Windows 11. It’s easier than you might think!

Windows has a built-in feature that lets you scroll windows in the background just by moving your mouse over them. Your main window stays active the whole time. Let’s learn how to turn this feature on or off.

Option One

Turn On or Off Scroll Inactive Windows in Settings

1. Open Settings by pressing Win+I on your keyboard.
2. Click Bluetooth & devices on the left side.
3. Click Mouse on the right side.

 Open Mouse settings

4. Find the option Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them.
5. Turn it On (this is the default) or Off based on what you want.
6. Close Settings when you’re done.

Option Two

Turn On or Off Scroll Inactive Windows Using Command Line

1. Open Windows Terminal.
2. Select either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.
3. Copy and paste one of the commands below and press Enter.

To Turn On:

reg add "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop" /V MouseWheelRouting /T REG_DWORD /d 2 /F

To Turn Off:

reg add "HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop" /V MouseWheelRouting /T REG_DWORD /d 0 /F

That’s it! Your setting will take effect right away.

Summary

You now know three easy ways to control scroll inactive windows in Windows 11. The Settings option is the simplest if you prefer using the graphical interface. The Registry and Command Line options work if you’re comfortable with those tools. All three methods do the same thing—they just give you choices based on how you like to work with your computer.