How to Change Scroll Direction on Mac

Changing the Scroll Direction on Your Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re new to using a Mac, especially after transitioning from a Windows or Chrome OS environment, you might find the default scroll direction confusing. Macs use a feature called “Natural Scrolling,” which can feel counterintuitive if you’re used to traditional scrolling. Here’s how you can easily change the scroll direction on your Mac to match your preferences.

Accessing System Settings

  • Go to the Apple menu located at the top left corner of your screen.
  • Select System Settings from the dropdown menu.

Changing Scroll Direction for Trackpad

  • Click on Trackpad from the left sidebar in the System Settings window.
  • Navigate to the Scroll & Zoom tab.
  • Find the Natural Scrolling option and toggle it off to switch to traditional scrolling. If Natural Scrolling is enabled, it will scroll in the direction of your finger movement, similar to a touchscreen. Disabling it will make the scrolling direction more traditional, where moving your fingers up scrolls down and moving them down scrolls up.

Changing Scroll Direction for Mouse

  • Click on Mouse from the left sidebar in the System Settings window. Note that this option will only be available if you have a mouse connected.
  • Select the Point & Click option.
  • Toggle off the Natural Scrolling option to change the scroll direction. This will align the mouse wheel scrolling with traditional scrolling, where turning the wheel down scrolls down and turning it up scrolls up.

Adjusting Scroll Direction for Both Trackpad and Mouse

  • Note that changing the Natural Scrolling option in either the Trackpad or Mouse settings will affect both devices. If you prefer consistent scrolling behavior across both your trackpad and mouse, ensure that the Natural Scrolling option is set the same way in both settings.
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Using Terminal to Change Scroll Direction

For those who prefer using the command line, you can change the scroll direction using Terminal:

  • Open the Terminal app by pressing Command + Space, typing “Terminal,” and pressing Enter.
  • Copy and paste the following command to switch to traditional scrolling: 
    defaults write -g com.apple.swipescrolldirection -boolean NO

    To switch back to Natural Scrolling, use:

    defaults write -g com.apple.swipescrolldirection -boolean YES
  • Press Enter to execute the command.
  • Reboot your Mac for the changes to take effect.

By following these simple steps, you can customize the scroll direction on your Mac to better suit your preferences and make your computing experience more comfortable.