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How to Fix Mouse Scrolling the Wrong Way in Windows 11

Change Windows 11’s mouse scrolling direction in Mouse settings, or adjust Touchpad settings for two-finger scrolling.
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To reverse a mouse wheel in Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, find Scrolling direction, and choose the direction that matches the way you want the page to move. If you mean two-finger scrolling on a laptop touchpad, change its separate setting under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad.

Change the mouse wheel’s scroll direction

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Select Bluetooth & devices, then Mouse.
  3. Under Scrolling, open Scrolling direction.
  4. Choose Down motion scrolls down or Down motion scrolls up. Try the other option if the first choice does not match your preferred wheel behavior.

Microsoft documents this control for Windows 11 and Windows 10; the precise layout may vary across device configurations. Microsoft’s mouse settings guidance describes the direction choices and other scrolling options.

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Check whether you mean the touchpad

If the unexpected scrolling comes from a two-finger gesture on a laptop, changing the mouse-wheel setting may not affect it. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and look for the scrolling direction control. Its availability can depend on the device. Microsoft Support says touchpad settings can be used to “reverse scrolling direction.” Read Microsoft’s Surface touchpad guidance.

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Direction, scroll amount, and inactive windows are different settings

If scrolling goes in the expected direction but moves too far or too little, adjust the amount rather than reversing direction. The Mouse settings page offers options to scroll multiple lines or one screen at a time, set the number of lines per wheel notch, and scroll inactive windows when hovering over them. These controls change how scrolling works, not which direction the wheel moves the page. See the Windows mouse settings options.

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If the direction setting does not fix the problem

  • Confirm which input is causing the behavior: a physical mouse wheel or a touchpad gesture. Change the setting for that device.
  • If you use a Microsoft mouse, Microsoft’s Surface mouse troubleshooting guidance points to Mouse settings for wheel adjustments and mentions Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center for personalizing Microsoft input devices. It does not establish that the app is required to reverse scrolling or applies to other brands. See Microsoft’s mouse troubleshooting guidance.
  • If the issue is a malfunctioning touchpad rather than reversed direction, Microsoft recommends updating Windows or the touchpad driver through Device Manager, or reinstalling the driver through Device Manager. If that does not resolve the touchpad problem, contact the device manufacturer. These are touchpad-fault steps, not the usual first fix for a mouse wheel set to the unwanted direction. Read Microsoft’s touchpad troubleshooting steps.

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