To invert scrolling on Mac, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Mouse and turn off Natural scrolling, opening Point & Click first if shown. For a trackpad, open Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom and turn off Natural scrolling. Turning it on makes trackpad content follow your fingers.
The built-in mouse and trackpad controls normally share the same direction setting. To keep natural scrolling on your trackpad while reversing your mouse, use a utility that separates their behavior.
The short version
- Trackpad: Open System Settings > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom and change Natural scrolling.
- Mouse: Open System Settings > Mouse and change Natural scrolling, opening Point & Click first if shown.
- Separate directions: Scroll Reverser can reverse your mouse while leaving your trackpad’s natural scrolling intact.
- More control: LinearMouse lets you configure each device and scrolling axis separately.
| Option | When to use it | Direction control |
|---|---|---|
| Trackpad settings | Change trackpad scrolling | Natural scrolling, normally shared with the mouse |
| Mouse settings | Change mouse scrolling | Natural scrolling, normally shared with the trackpad |
| System Settings search | Find the toggle when the layout differs | Search for natural scrolling |
| Scroll Reverser | Keep mouse and trackpad directions different | Mouse, trackpad, vertical and horizontal reversal |
| LinearMouse | Configure each device separately | Vertical and horizontal reversal per device |
| Logi Options+ | Customize a supported Logitech mouse | Model-specific wheel direction controls |
| Conflicting scrolling settings | Fix an unexpected direction | Remove extra utility or browser reversals |
Change your trackpad scrolling direction
Open the Apple menu > System Settings > Trackpad, then select Scroll & Zoom. Find Natural scrolling and turn it off to reverse natural scrolling, or turn it on to make content follow your fingers. Try scrolling after changing the toggle to decide which direction you prefer.
This path applies to built-in Mac trackpads and connected Magic Trackpads. The available options depend on your hardware, so use the controls for the trackpad connected to your Mac.
Change your mouse scrolling direction
Go to the Apple menu > System Settings > Mouse > Point & Click. Turn Natural scrolling off for traditional wheel behavior, or turn it on for natural scrolling.
A wireless mouse must be connected to your Mac before these settings appear. Use Natural scrolling to change direction.
Changing this toggle can also change your trackpad’s direction because the two panels normally share the underlying preference. Switching one off and the other on does not give you independent directions. For a natural trackpad and a traditional mouse wheel, use Scroll Reverser as described below.
Find Natural scrolling when the layout differs
Open System Settings and enter “natural scrolling” in its search field. If a matching mouse or trackpad setting appears, select it and change Natural scrolling. If the search does not surface the setting, use the mouse or trackpad path above.
Older instructions refer to System Preferences and Scroll direction: Natural. When your Mac uses System Settings, follow the current paths above and look for Natural scrolling.
Keep natural trackpad scrolling and reverse your mouse
Download Scroll Reverser using Download on its official download page. Unzip the download, move Scroll Reverser.app to Applications, then launch it and grant the requested permissions. Scroll Reverser 1.9 requires macOS 13.5 or later and supports Intel and Apple silicon Macs.
Leave Apple’s Natural scrolling setting on, then open Scroll Reverser > Preferences > Scrolling. Select Enable Scroll Reverser and Reverse Mouse, and clear Reverse Trackpad. Enable Reverse Vertical to reverse up-and-down mouse scrolling.
For left-and-right scrolling, enable Reverse Horizontal as well. Leave it disabled if you only want to reverse vertical scrolling, and keep Reverse Trackpad cleared to preserve your trackpad’s direction.
To switch reversal on or off temporarily, right-click the Scroll Reverser menu bar icon, or hold Control and click it. Quit Scroll Reverser to stop its reversal entirely. After quitting, Apple’s direction setting still applies, along with any adjustments from other utilities.
Set a different direction for each device
Choose LinearMouse when you want to configure individual devices rather than reverse mice and trackpads as groups. Download it using Download on the official LinearMouse product page, install it, and launch it. Grant its requested Accessibility permission during setup.
Open LinearMouse, select the device you want to change, and open Scrolling. Choose Vertical or Horizontal, then change Reverse scrolling. Repeat for the other axis or another device only when you want to change that behavior too.
LinearMouse supports Intel and Apple silicon Macs, but the minimum macOS version depends on the downloaded build. Check the build’s requirements before installing it. Its reversal adds an adjustment to your existing direction, so account for Apple’s Natural scrolling setting when choosing your result.
Change direction on a supported Logitech mouse
For a supported Logitech mouse, download Logi Options+ from its official product page using DOWNLOAD FOR macOS 14 OR LATER. Install it and select your mouse.
On an MX Master 4, select Scroll wheel, then find Scroll direction. Choose Standard for traditional wheel behavior or Natural for natural scrolling. Other supported models can use different layouts.
To adjust the MX Master 4’s separate thumb wheel, select Thumb wheel and change Scroll direction. Keep the main wheel and thumb wheel settings separate when only one of them feels reversed.
Use Options+ for supported devices when older instructions point you to Logitech Options or Logitech Control Center. Logitech says Options no longer receives updates, and Control Center customization is unavailable on macOS 13 and later.
Resolve conflicting scrolling settings
If scrolling still goes the wrong way, check for a utility applying another reversal. Apple’s direction setting and an axis-specific, device-specific or application-specific utility setting can reverse the result again. Start by removing the utility’s reversal, then choose your preferred built-in direction.
With Scroll Reverser, quit the application to stop its inversion and try scrolling again. With Mac Mouse Fix 3, clear Reverse Direction under Scrolling, or turn Enable Mac Mouse Fix off. Use its enable switch to stop its mouse modifications instead of simply closing its settings window.
A utility that cannot modify scrolling may need its requested permissions. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility and allow access for the utility you chose. Some utilities also request Input Monitoring permission, so complete those requests as part of setup.
When direction differs in only one application, check the utility’s application-specific settings before changing the Mac-wide toggle. In Firefox, enter about:config in the address bar and select Accept the Risk and Continue if prompted. Find the wheel-multiplier preference you changed and use Reset to restore its default. That removes the browser’s extra direction adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you change scrolling direction using only the keyboard?
Turn on Full Keyboard Access under System Settings > Accessibility > Motor > Keyboard. Navigate to the mouse or trackpad setting with Tab, Shift + Tab and the arrow keys. Focus Natural scrolling and press Space.
Can Voice Control change Natural scrolling?
You can use Voice Control to operate the existing toggle. Enable it in System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control, then open the mouse or trackpad pane. Say “Show numbers,” then “Click” followed by the number beside Natural scrolling. Command availability depends on your selected language.
Why does Scroll Reverser leave some gestures unchanged?
Scroll Reverser cannot reverse swipe gestures or custom gesture scrolling in Calendar and iPhone Mirroring. If you use an older trackpad without multitouch, it may also be identified as a mouse, which affects whether the mouse or trackpad reversal option applies.
Can you reverse scrolling only while holding a key?
You can configure this in BetterTouchTool 5.780 or later. Open Normal Mouse > + > Scroll Behavior Modifiers > Reverse Scroll Direction, then enable Reverse Vertical and/or Reverse Horizontal. Add a modifier-key condition, such as Shift, then hold that key as you start scrolling to apply the reversal.
Does Mac Mouse Fix support Magic Mouse?
You cannot use Mac Mouse Fix 3 to modify Magic Mouse scrolling. It supports third-party wheel mice and requires macOS 10.15 or later. For Magic Mouse reversal, you can use Scroll Reverser.