Most touchpads and mice come with a default scrolling direction, and Windows has stuck to its traditional scrolling direction for years. On Windows 11 computers, swiping up the touchpad or rolling the mouse wheel down moves things on your screen upwards, while swiping down or rolling the wheel up moves things downwards.

While the default scroll direction in Windows is the downward movement for scrolling down, some users prefer the opposite: 'natural scrolling', where swiping up or rolling up the wheel scrolls down the page, like on your Phone or Mac.

There's no right or wrong way to scroll. Whether you prefer classic or natural scrolling, the best scroll direction is the one that feels most natural and intuitive to you. In this article, we'll guide you through the steps to customize your mouse and touchpad scroll direction in Windows 11.

Change Scrolling Direction for Touchpad in Windows 11

Adjusting your Windows 11 touchpad is as simple as a few clicks for those used to different scroll directions. Windows 11 also has a built-in option for this:

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select 'Settings' from the menu or just press Windows+I to open the Settings app.
  2. In the Settings app, go to the 'Bluetooth & devices' section and click on 'Touchpad' on the right pane.
  1. Under Guesters & interaction, click on the 'Scroll & zoom' tile to expand it.
  1. Then, click the drop-down menu next to the Scrolling direction and choose either 'Down motion scrolls up' or 'Down motion scrolls down'.
  • Down motion scrolls up (Reverse scrolling): Swipe two fingers upward on the touchpad to scroll down the page.
  • Down motion scrolls Down (Natural scrolling): Swipe two fingers downward on the touchpad to scroll up the page.

The changes happen immediately, there's no need to restart your PC.  You can always switch back to the original scrolling direction using the same steps.

Change the Scrolling Direction for a Mouse on Windows 11

Unlike its touchpad counterpart, customizing the mouse scroll direction can be a bit trickier. It involves editing the Registry, so making a backup of your registry is recommended. However, you'll need your mouse's VID ID, which is necessary for changing the mouse direction.

  1. Type 'device manager' in the Start Menu and select the top result.
  2. In the Device Manager window, expand the 'Mice and other pointing devices' category.
  3. Right-click the mouse device (usually named as HID-compliant mouse) and select 'Properties'.
  1. In the Properties window, switch to the 'Details' tab and select 'Device instance path' in 'Property' drop-down menu.
  1. Now, note down the VID code between the two backward slashes (\) - for example, 'VID_093A&PID_2510'.
  1. Then, click 'OK' and close the Device Manager.

Changing Scroll Direction in the Windows Registry

Now, you have the VID ID of the mouse, you can use that change the scroll direction of your mouse using the Windows Registry. Here’s how:

  1. Press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box, type ‘regedit.exe’, then press Enter.
  1. In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID
  1. Under the HID folder, you may see VID ID folders. Find the folder that matches with the VID you noted down from the Device Manager.
  1. Now, expand each subfolder under that key until you see that ‘Device Parameters’ subfolder.
  1. Select the ‘Device Parameters’ subfolder and look for the ‘FlipFlopWheel’ value inside it. FlipFlopWheel DOWRD decides whether your mouse uses natural or reverse scrolling.
  1. Now, double-click the FlipFlopWheel value and set its Value data to either of the following :
  • 0 for traditional scrolling: Scroll up to move down the page and scroll down to move up.
  • 1 for natural scrolling: Scroll down to move down the page and scroll up to mo.
  1. Choose the direction that feels most natural to you and click 'OK'.
  1. Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take full effect.

Now you can switch between traditional and natural scroll styles for both your mouse and touchpad on Windows 11, allowing you to use them exactly how you like.

Use Third-Party Apps to Change Scrolling

Depending on your mouse brand, your mouse might have its own control software. For example, Logitech Options (for Logitech mice) or Razer Synapse (for Razer mice) might have an option that lets you flip the scroll direction. Download and install the software from the manufacturer's website and check your manufacturer's website for instructions.

Even if your mouse doesn't have any dedicated software, you can use third-party apps like X-Mouse Button Control (XMBC) or WizMouse to customize your mouse functions, including reversing the scroll direction.