To reverse scrolling on a Windows 10 touchpad, select Start > Settings > Devices > Touchpad, and change Scrolling direction to Down motion scrolls down. Windows 10 has no setting for a mouse wheel, so for a mouse you use the mouse maker’s app or a registry change.
Applies to: Windows 10. Checked against Microsoft Support on September 25, 2026.
Reverse touchpad scrolling
- Select Start > Settings > Devices > Touchpad.
- Under Scroll and zoom, open the Scrolling direction list.
- Choose Down motion scrolls down to reverse it, or Down motion scrolls up to go back to the default.
The change works right away. If you don’t see Scrolling direction, your laptop doesn’t have a precision touchpad. Look for a scrolling setting in the touchpad maker’s app instead, usually under Additional settings on the same page.
Reverse mouse wheel scrolling
First check the mouse maker’s app, if it has one. Many include a reverse scroll option. Windows 11 has its own setting for this; see changing the mouse scrolling direction in Windows 11.
If not, you can flip the wheel in the registry. Editing the registry wrongly can cause problems, so follow the steps exactly and back up your PC first.
- Right-click Start, select Device Manager, and expand Mice and other pointing devices.
- Double-click your mouse, select the Details tab, and choose Device instance path from the list. Note the part that starts with VID_.
- Press Windows logo key + R, type
regedit, and press Enter. - Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID, open the folder that matches your VID_ value, and then its Device Parameters folder. - Double-click FlipFlopWheel, change Value data to 1, and select OK.
- Restart your PC.
To undo it, set FlipFlopWheel back to 0 and restart.
Do it with PowerShell instead of Registry Editor
If you’d rather not click through the registry, this command flips the wheel for every connected mouse at once. Open PowerShell as administrator and run it, then restart:
Get-PnpDevice -Class Mouse -PresentOnly -Status OK | ForEach-Object { Set-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\$($_.InstanceId)\Device Parameters" -Name FlipFlopWheel -Value 1 }Run it again with -Value 0 to go back to normal scrolling.
Use different directions for the touchpad and mouse
The touchpad setting and the mouse wheel setting are separate. You can keep natural scrolling on the touchpad, so it feels like a phone, while the mouse wheel scrolls the traditional way, or the other way round. Many people who switch between a Mac and a PC set it up exactly like that.
Other touchpad scrolling options
On the same Touchpad settings page, under Scroll and zoom:
- Drag two fingers to scroll turns two-finger scrolling on or off.
- Pinch to zoom lets you zoom in and out in browsers and photos.
- Touchpad sensitivity, higher on the page, controls how easily light touches register, which helps if scrolling feels jumpy.
If the scroll direction won’t change or changes back
- There’s no scroll direction option for the touchpad. That setting only appears on PCs with a precision touchpad. Look for Your PC has a precision touchpad at the top of the Touchpad settings page. If it isn’t there, open Control Panel > Mouse and look for a tab from Synaptics, ELAN, or your laptop maker, which usually has its own scrolling options.
- The mouse scrolls the old way again. Plugging the mouse into a different USB port, or a driver update, can create a new registry entry with the default setting. Repeat the registry change, or run the PowerShell command again.
- It only affects some apps. A few apps, such as some games and remote desktop tools, handle scrolling themselves. Check their own settings.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my touchpad scroll the wrong way?
Windows 10 uses “down motion scrolls up” by default, like moving the page with your fingers. Change it in Touchpad settings as shown above.
Can I change how far each scroll moves?
Yes. In Settings > Devices > Mouse, use Choose how many lines to scroll each time. See how to change mouse sensitivity in Windows 10.
What’s the difference between natural and normal scrolling?
With normal (traditional) scrolling, moving down on the wheel or touchpad moves the page down, like dragging a scroll bar. Natural scrolling works like a phone: you push the content, so moving your fingers up moves the page up. Macs use natural scrolling by default, which is why switching between a Mac and a PC can feel backwards.
Can I reverse horizontal scrolling too?
The registry change only flips the vertical wheel. For a mouse with a tilt wheel or side scroll wheel, use the maker’s app to change horizontal scrolling.
To turn the touchpad off completely, see how to turn the touchpad on or off in Windows 10.
Microsoft’s guides are Touch gestures for Windows and Change mouse settings. More help is on our Windows Help & Guides page.
Related: how to enable two-finger scrolling in Windows 10.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.