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The Inactive Scrolling feature was first added to Windows 10, and it is still there in Windows 11, which is the most recent operating system. With this new feature, Windows users can Enable and Disable Inactive Scrolling.
This may sound cool, but not everyone will like it. A lot of Windows users have run into the problem of scrolling by accident. Since this feature is turned on by default in Windows 11/10, they want to turn it off.
You can start scrolling by moving the mouse pointer over any open window and then using the mouse wheel. This saves you a few clicks and keeps you from having to change the focus often. There are at least two ways in Windows 11 to turn on or off the scrolling of inactive windows. In this we’ll show you both ways. You can choose whichever one you like best.
How to Enable and Disable Inactive Scrolling on Windows 11/10
Via Settings App
- Open the Settings app. Choose Bluetooth & devices on the left side, and click Mouse on the right pane.
- Under the Scrolling section, you can turn on or off the option titled “Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them“.
- This change will take effect immediately. Enabling this feature can help you quickly scroll inactive background windows without clicking or having input focus.
Via Registry Editor
- Open Registry Editor and browse to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop. Look for the 32-bit DWORD value named MouseWheelRouting, and then double-click it to modify.
- Change its value data to 2 if you want to enable inactive window scrolling, or set it to 0 for turning off inactive window scrolling.
- Close Registry Editor. This change requires restarting the computer to take effect.
Who Can Benefit From Inactive Window Scrolling?
Even though inactive window scrolling is a godsend for people with large monitors with great resolution, it can also be helpful for people who work on screens with less space. You can open Excel on one side and Word on the other because it gives you control over multiple windows. So, while you are typing in Word, you can also scroll through Excel to find information, which will help you get more done.
FAQ
How do I unlock scroll lock in Windows 11?
- If your keyboard does not have a Scroll Lock key, on your computer, click Start > Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.
- Click the On Screen Keyboard button to turn it on.
- When the on-screen keyboard appears on your screen, click the ScrLk button.
How do I change scroll settings in Windows 11?
Scroll down to the section called Gestures and interactions, and then click on Scroll and zoom. To switch to natural scrolling, open the drop-down menu next to the Scrolling direction choice and choose Down motion scrolls down. You don’t need to restart your computer. The changes will happen right away.
Does Ctrl Shift ESC work on Windows 11?
In Windows 11, you can open the Task Manager by pressing CTRL + ALT + Delete, right-clicking the Start button, pressing CTRL + SHIFT + ESC, pressing Windows Key + X, or using the Run command. Click the right method to find out more.
How do I change my Scrolling settings?
Click the Wheel tab, and then do one of the following: To set the number of lines the screen will scroll for each notch of mouse wheel movement, under Vertical Scrolling, select The following number of lines at a time, and then enter the number of lines you want to scroll in the box.