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User profile for user: enteq
enteq Author
User level: Level 1
102 points

Set scroll direction independently for mouse and trackpad

I use multiple pointing devices, including a mouse and Apple Magic Trackpad, and it is very frustrating that it is not possible to configure the Mac so that both devices scroll in the standard direction for those device types.


By scroll in the "standard direction" I mean:

  • For a mouse, the standard scrolling direction is where you rotate the wheel towards you and the page scrolls down. This is the way that mouse scroll wheels have worked since they were invented in the mid-1990s.
  • Touch-based surfaces on the other hand generally work on a "drag" paradigm. The standard scrolling direction is where you drag the page in the direction you want the page to move (not the direction you want to scroll), so dragging upwards makes the page move upwards, which lets you view content further down the page, so you scroll down. This is the way that touch-based surfaces have worked since they first became popular in the mid-2000s.


There is a setting in OS X to reverse the direction of scrolling under System Preferences > Mouse > Scroll direction: natural, and also under System Preferences > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom > Scroll direction: natural. But these both control the same setting, so if you change one, the other updates too.


The problem is that it is impossible to get both devices to scroll in standard direction at the same time.


If you DISABLE "Scroll direction: natural" in System Preferences, then:

  • Mouse scroll direction is CORRECT (i.e. rotate wheel towards you = scroll DOWN)
  • Trackpad scroll direction is INCORRECT (i.e. drag the page up makes it move down = scroll UP)


If you ENABLE "Scroll direction: natural" in System Preferences, then:

  • Mouse scroll direction is INCORRECT (i.e. rotate wheel towards you = scroll UP)
  • Trackpad scroll direction is CORRECT (i.e. drag the page up makes it move up = scroll DOWN)


So the problem is that whichever way you set it, something is always broken. If you set it to "natural", the mouse is wrong and the trackpad is right. If you set it to non-"natural", the trackpad is wrong and the mouse is right.


The problem would be solved if OS X allowed the "Scroll direction: natural" setting to be made independently for mouse and trackpad. If I could set them independently, then I would set it to "non-natural" for mouse, and "natural" for Trackpad, and then everything would be correct as far as I'm concerned!


I don't think I'm asking for anything weird here. All I want is for a scroll-wheel to behave like a scroll-wheel, and a touch-based surface to behave like a touch-based surface.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Apr 3, 2015 11:51 AM

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User profile for user: enteq
enteq Author
User level: Level 1
102 points

Posted on Apr 5, 2015 3:10 AM

Hi Eric, the two settings are linked, and that is precisely the problem. If you change one, the other updates to the same value.


I want them to be de-linked. For me, what's "natural" for a trackpad is different to what's "natural" for a mouse. I want a trackpad to behave like any other touch surface (drag the page in the direction you want the page to move) and a mouse wheel to behave like a mouse wheel (turn the wheel in the direction you want to scroll).


But that would require "Scroll direction: natural" to be ENABLED it in Trackpad Preferences, and DISABLED in Mouse Preferences - which is currently impossible.


And apparently, it's not just me who wants this - otherwise why would a utility like "Scroll Reverser" have been developed?

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User profile for user: enteq
enteq Author
User level: Level 1
102 points

Apr 5, 2015 3:10 AM in response to Eric Root

Hi Eric, the two settings are linked, and that is precisely the problem. If you change one, the other updates to the same value.


I want them to be de-linked. For me, what's "natural" for a trackpad is different to what's "natural" for a mouse. I want a trackpad to behave like any other touch surface (drag the page in the direction you want the page to move) and a mouse wheel to behave like a mouse wheel (turn the wheel in the direction you want to scroll).


But that would require "Scroll direction: natural" to be ENABLED it in Trackpad Preferences, and DISABLED in Mouse Preferences - which is currently impossible.


And apparently, it's not just me who wants this - otherwise why would a utility like "Scroll Reverser" have been developed?

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User profile for user: enteq
enteq Author
User level: Level 1
102 points

Apr 3, 2015 12:30 PM in response to enteq

I am aware that there is a utility called "Scroll Reverser", which allows you to set the scroll direction independently for each device: https://pilotmoon.com/scrollreverser/


I used this utility with my old machine, it's a great utility, and it Just Works.


However, I've now got to the stage where I'm reluctant to install 3rd-party utilities that change the core behaviour of OS X, even if they appear to work fine now. Will the utility work with future versions of the OS? Will the developer still be around to fix issues? Will it conflict with other software? If you need to uninstall, is there an uninstaller and has it been tested with the (future) OS version you're on?


The fact is I've had a few strange issues in the past that have mysteriously gone away when I did a clean install of OS X. I like to run a stable rig, and I've learnt that to do this, it's key to stick to the out-of-the-box OS as much as possible, and avoid installing "tweaky" 3rd-party utilities that change the core OS behaviour, unless you really have to.


Nothing against Scroll Reverser, but I think this is basic functionality that the OS should provide.


I've sent feedback to Apple at https://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html with a link to this post.

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User profile for user: Community User
Community User

Feb 2, 2016 9:51 PM in response to enteq

OMG that is such a life saver. I have been frustrated for the last 5 years not being able to do exactly what the scroll reverser does reverse either the trackpad or attache USB mouse vertical scroll direction. I cannot understand, how a polished tool like Apple OS X does not address an apparently glaring POOR assumption in their software. That is if you scroll naturally on the trackpad you scroll naturally on the mouse, i believe exactly the opposite is true.

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Set scroll direction independently for mouse and trackpad

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