Whatever you want when it comes to scrolling can be adjusted within settings. Here is how to scroll on a Mac and how to adjust scrolling settings.
How to change Mac mouse scrolling directions and controls
- Go to System Settings from the Apple menu, the Spotlight Search, Siri, or through Finder > Applications.
- Click Trackpad.
- Now you have a range of choices for what you can change when using it:
📌 Secondary click (in the Point & Click tab) to enable right-clicking
📌 The Tracking speed slider sets how fast or slow the mouse moves across the screen. Drag it slider left or right to speed up or slow down the options for mouse speed.
📌 Natural scrolling (Scroll & Zoom section) — wherever your finger goes, the pointer moves in the same direction
If you use mouse, you can go to System Settings > Mouse and customize the same set of preferences, but all of them are in the Point & Click tab of Mouse settings.
Something else you can change is the scrolling speed. Here is how you can do that.
How to change Mac mouse double-clicking speed
Changing the speed at which you double-click something means you avoid clicking on something too fast. Usually, speed is useful. But if your Mac has a tendency to run slow or too hot, double-clicking a document, image, video, or app could force something that you don't want (or you simply don't have time to deal with) to open. That will slow down what you are trying to do and keep you from accidentally buying a yacht online.
- Go to System Settings > Accessibility.
- Scroll down to Pointer Control.
- Now you should see another slider. Drag the Double-click speed slider to reduce or increase the speed at which something opens.
At its slowest, you could be waiting for seconds before something launches, depending on how far you've dragged the slider.
Within the Mouse and Trackpad settings, there are also ways to increase the number of gestures (under More Gestures) you can do with a mouse or trackpad. These extra gestures include using your fingers to swipe or scroll left or right when using a Magic Mouse. You can also add a gesture to tap lightly to call up Mission Control.
However, for most people, some extra control is all that is needed. Increasing or decreasing the speed or scrolling and double-clicking, or introducing the right-click function is all that is needed to make a mouse on a Mac more user friendly.
What if the scroller is too slow?
If this isn’t working for you, it could be that system junk and months-old clutter on your drive are getting in the way.
One way to troubleshoot this problem is with CleanMyMac. This is by far the most popular Mac tuneup app that is notarized by Apple.
It could be helpful when you need to speed up your Mac and remove conflicting applications and old caches. Here is how you do that:
- Get your free CleanMyMac trial — you can test it for 7 days.
- Run the Cleanup tool (click Scan > Clean).
- Now, restart your Mac and test your scroller (it should be working a lot faster and smoother now).
It wouldn’t harm if you also delete some outdated apps from your Mac. Clear out old, unwanted files and apps you don't need with CleanMyMac’s Applications feature. Let it solve any number of Mac problems that are reducing the quality of your user experience.
