How to Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction in Windows 11
You can change your touchpad scrolling direction in Windows 11 using the Settings app.
This setting determines how swiping down on your touchpad works. Do you want content to move up (reverse scrolling), or down (natural scrolling)?
Most Windows 11 laptops with precision touchpads come with reverse scrolling enabled by default. Fortunately, switching to natural scrolling is a quick adjustment.
For example, reverse scrolling means a downward swipe makes a web page go up. Natural scrolling does the opposite: a downward swipe makes the page scroll 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.
Option One
Change Touchpad Scrolling Direction in Settings
You can easily change your touchpad scrolling direction right in Windows 11 Settings. This is the simplest way to adjust how your touchpad scrolls, whether you want it to scroll up when you move your finger down or vice versa.- 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 making advanced changes, you can change your touchpad scrolling direction using the Windows Registry. This method lets you directly adjust the setting, but it requires administrator access and careful attention to detail.
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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