How to Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction in Windows 11
Changing touchpad scrolling direction in Windows 11 lets you decide if swiping down moves content up or down.
This setting controls whether your touchpad uses “reverse scrolling” (swiping down moves content up) or “natural scrolling” (swiping down moves content down).
Many Windows 11 laptops with precision touchpads start with reverse scrolling. You can easily switch this to natural scrolling through the Settings app.
Think of it like this: natural scrolling feels more like moving a physical piece of paper, where a downward swipe makes the page go down.
Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad. Expand Scroll & zoom, then select your preferred scrolling direction from the dropdown menu. This changes whether swiping down moves content up or down.
Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction in Settings
You can change your touchpad scrolling direction in Windows 11 using the Settings app. Open Settings by pressing the Windows key and ‘I’ together, then pick ‘Bluetooth & devices’ from the left menu. On the right side, click on ‘Touchpad’ to find the settings that let you adjust how your touchpad scrolls.- Open Settings (press ⊞ Win+I).
- Click Bluetooth & devices on the left side. Then click Touchpad on the right side. (see screenshot below)
- Click Scroll & zoom to open it. (see screenshot below step 4)
- Choose what you want in the Scrolling direction dropdown menu. Select Down motion scrolls up (the default) or Down motion scrolls down. (see screenshot below)
- You can now close Settings.
Option Two
Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction Using Registry
If you’re comfortable with advanced settings, you can change your touchpad scrolling direction by editing the Windows Registry. This method allows you to adjust your touchpad’s scrolling by modifying specific values within the Registry Editor, a powerful tool for system-level changes. Be careful when editing the registry, as incorrect changes can affect your system.
Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction to “Down motion scrolls up”
This is the default setting.
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad" /v ScrollDirection /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction to “Down motion scrolls down”
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PrecisionTouchPad" /v ScrollDirection /t REG_DWORD /d 0xFFFFFFFF /f
Summary
You can change how your touchpad scrolls in Windows 11. You can switch between reverse and natural scrolling using the Settings app, or dive into the Registry Editor for a more advanced approach. Either method puts you in control of your touchpad’s behavior.
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Richard
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Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
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