How to Adjust Mouse Scroll Settings in Windows 11 Accessibility Settings

Where scroll settings are in 🪟 Windows 11

Knowing which one holds what saves you from hunting through the wrong page.

• Settings > Bluetooth 🔷 & devices > Mouse holds the wheel behavior: lines per notch, one screen at a time, scroll direction and scrolling inactive windows.
• Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects holds Always show scrollbars, which keeps scroll bars on screen instead of letting them fade.
• Mouse Properties in the classic Control Panel 🎛️ holds the Wheel tab, the only place with a horizontal scrolling setting.

The Accessibility > Mouse page covers Mouse keys (a feature that lets you move the pointer and click using the numeric keypad). It does not change wheel scrolling.

Change how far the mouse wheel scrolls

This is the setting most people are looking for. Each notch of the wheel moves the page by a set number of lines. Windows uses 3 lines by default. Raise the number to scroll faster, or lower it for finer control.

Set the number of lines per notch

1. Open Settings by pressing Win+I.

   

2. Select Bluetooth 🔷 & devices in the left pane.

   

3. Select Mouse. The page lists your pointer and button options, followed by the scroll options.

   

4. Find Roll the mouse wheel to scroll and check that it is set to Multiple lines at a time. If it is set to One screen at a time, the next option is hidden.

   

   

5. Drag the Lines to scroll at a time slider. Move it right to scroll more per notch, or left to scroll less.

   

6. Open a long web page or document and roll the wheel one notch. Adjust the slider until the movement feels right.

The change applies as soon as you move the slider. There is no Apply button.

If you want the original behavior back, set the slider to 3.

Scroll one screen at a time

This option makes each wheel notch move the page by a full screen, similar to pressing Page Down. It suits long documents, but it can feel jumpy in apps where you want to read as you scroll.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Open the Roll the mouse wheel to scroll drop-down.

   

3. Select One screen at a time. The Lines to scroll at a time slider disappears or becomes unavailable, because it no longer applies.

   

4. Roll the wheel in a long document to confirm that one notch moves roughly one screen.

To undo this, choose Multiple lines at a time from the same drop-down. Your slider position is normally kept.

Reverse the scroll direction

By default, rolling the wheel down moves the page down. Some people prefer the reverse, which matches how touchscreens and Mac mice behave. This changes the direction for the mouse only. It does not affect the touchpad.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Find Scrolling direction and open its drop-down.

   

3. Choose Down motion scrolls up to reverse the direction, or Down motion scrolls down to return to the default.
4. Roll the wheel on any page to test it.

If you do not see Scrolling direction, your build of Windows 11 may be too old to include it. Run Windows Update and check again. Mouse manufacturer software may also offer a reverse-scroll option. See the troubleshooting section below.

Scroll windows you are not clicked into

This is on by default. It is useful when you read in one window while typing in another, but it can cause accidental scrolling if you rest your hand on the mouse.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Find Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them.
3. Switch the toggle to Off to scroll only the window you have clicked, or On to scroll whichever window is under the pointer.

Some apps handle scrolling on their own and may ignore this setting.

Keep scroll bars visible in Accessibility settings

Windows 11 hides scroll bars in many apps until you move the pointer over them. If you have trouble finding or grabbing them, you can make them stay visible. This is the only scroll-related setting on the Accessibility page.

1. Open Settings and select Accessibility.

   

2. Select Visual effects.

   

3. Switch Always show scrollbars to On.
4. Open File Explorer or Settings and check the right edge of the window. The scroll bar now stays on screen.

Switch the toggle to Off to go back to the auto-hiding behavior. Some apps draw their own scroll bars and may not follow this setting.

The Mouse keys option under Accessibility > Mouse moves the pointer from the numeric keypad. It does not scroll pages. If you cannot use the wheel at all, you can scroll with the keyboard instead, using Page Up, Page Down, the arrow keys or the Spacebar in most apps.

Adjust horizontal scrolling in Control Panel

Horizontal scrolling settings live only in Mouse Properties, not the Settings app. If your mouse has a tilt wheel (a wheel that clicks left and right as well as rolling), you can set how far each sideways tilt scrolls. This route also offers the same vertical options as Settings.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Scroll to Related settings and select Additional mouse settings. The Mouse Properties window opens.

   

3. Select the Wheel tab.
4. Under Vertical Scrolling, choose The following number of lines at a time and enter a number, or choose One screen at a time.
5. Under Horizontal Scrolling, enter the number of characters to scroll each time you tilt the wheel.
6. Select Apply, then OK.

If the Wheel tab is missing, your mouse driver has replaced it. Use the manufacturer's software instead. If the Horizontal Scrolling box is missing, your mouse has no tilt wheel, or the driver does not report one.

You can also open this window directly. Press Windows key + R, type main.cpl and press Enter.

Change touchpad scrolling on a laptop

The mouse settings above do not control the touchpad. If you scroll with two fingers on a laptop, the touchpad has its own settings.

1. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.
2. Expand Scroll & zoom.
3. Make sure Drag two fingers to scroll is ticked.
4. Open the Scrolling direction drop-down and choose Down motion scrolls down or Down motion scrolls up.

If the Touchpad page is missing, your PC has no touchpad, or Windows does not detect it.

Why scroll options are missing or do not work

Most problems come down to a handful of causes. Check these in order.

• The lines slider is missing. Roll the mouse wheel to scroll is set to One screen at a time. Change it to Multiple lines at a time.
• The Mouse page shows few options. Windows shows the full set of scroll options only when it detects a mouse with a wheel. Plug in or reconnect the mouse, wait a few seconds and reopen the page. For a Bluetooth mouse, check that it shows as connected under Bluetooth & devices.
• Your changes have no effect. Software from your mouse maker—such as the app that came with a Logitech or Microsoft mouse—can override Windows settings. Open that app and adjust scrolling there, or close the app and test again.
• One app scrolls differently from the rest. Some apps, including browsers and design tools, have their own scroll or smooth-scrolling behavior and may not follow the system value. Check that app's own settings.
• The Scrolling direction option is missing. Install pending updates in Windows Update, then reopen Mouse. If it is still missing, use your mouse software or the touchpad setting described above.
• Scrolling is erratic or jumps. This is usually hardware. Clean the wheel with compressed air, then test the mouse on another PC or USB port. Settings cannot fix a worn wheel sensor.

What to do next

To undo everything here, set Lines to scroll at a time back to 3, choose Multiple lines at a time and Down motion scrolls down, and turn Always show scrollbars off. If your scroll speed changes after a Windows feature update or after you install new mouse software, return to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse and check the values. The next setting worth adjusting is pointer speed and pointer size, which sit on the same Mouse page and under Accessibility > Mouse pointer and touch.