How to Change the Mouse Scroll Direction in Windows 11

If you recently switched from a Mac to a Windows 11 PC, you likely noticed that the mouse scroll wheel behaves completely backwards. Apple uses “Natural Scrolling” (pushing the wheel up pushes the page up, like swiping on a smartphone). Windows uses standard scrolling (pushing the wheel up pulls the page down). If you find the Windows default counter-intuitive, you can change the scroll direction, but doing so requires a quick edit to the Windows Registry.

Step 1: Find Your Mouse Instance ID

Because Windows 11 doesn’t have a simple toggle button for standard mice, we have to tell the Registry exactly which mouse to reverse.

1. Right-click the Start Button and select Device Manager.
2. Expand the Mice and other pointing devices section.
3. Right-click on your mouse (usually labelled “HID-compliant mouse”) and select Properties.
4. Click the Details tab at the top.
5. In the “Property” dropdown menu, select Device instance path.
6. Note the specific value displayed (e.g., HID\VID_045E&PID_00CB\7&24388...). Leave this window open.

Step 2: Reverse the Direction in the Registry

Now we will modify the specific configuration for that mouse.

1. Press the Windows Key, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Click Yes on the security prompt.
2. Navigate to the following path using the left sidebar:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\HID
3. Expand the HID folder. You will see several folders matching the Instance IDs from Step 1.
4. Click through the folders matching your specific mouse ID until you find the Device Parameters folder. Click on it.
5. In the right-hand pane, look for a file named FlipFlopWheel.
6. Double-click FlipFlopWheel.
7. Change the “Value data” from 0 to 1.
8. Click OK.

Close the Registry Editor and immediately restart your computer. When you log back into Windows 11, your mouse will now use “Natural Scrolling,” behaving exactly like a Mac or a smartphone touchscreen.