Mouses should help you to use a computer effectively and efficiently. But when something goes wrong, the device becomes a frustration and a liability.

The scroll wheel has been a feature of mouses since the mid-1990s. It's a vital feature for interacting with operating systems, applications, and games. But when the mouse scroll wheel goes wrong and starts scrolling the wrong way, what can you do to fix it?

Help, My Mouse Is Scrolling the Wrong Way

The scroll wheel is arguably the most important control on a mouse. Enabling easy movement through a page, document, or menu, the scroll wheel is tactile and intuitive.

It can also go wrong. Jumping up and down the page, scrolling in the wrong direction, the mouse seemingly unresponsive at key moments – these are all common examples of how the scroll wheel can seem to stop working.

The issue, however, is almost certainly not a hardware fault. As you'll learn below, fixing a misbehaving mouse scroll wheel is so easy, anyone can do it.

No, You Don't Need a New Mouse

Before looking at the solutions to a dodgy mouse scroll wheel, understand the following: you probably don't need a new mouse.

Mouse scroll wheel

I've gone through several wireless mice thinking that a new mouse would solve the error. And it does – for a short time. Thinking that the scroll wheel had been damaged when the mouse was knocked to the floor, it made sense to buy an inexpensive replacement.

Of course, this fix isn't sustainable, and it is completely unnecessary as a jumpy or non-responsive scroll wheel can hit any mouse, new or old. Here's how to fix a mouse scroll wheel that scrolls the wrong way or is otherwise unresponsive.

1. Just Blow the Dust Away

Incredibly the majority of mouse scrolling issues are caused by dust.

It gathers in the area around the scroll wheel, interfering with the sensor and preventing accurate scrolling. But as easily as dust gets into your mouse it can be expelled. Simply pick up the mouse and give the scroll wheel a few sharp puffs of breath. In most cases this will be enough to force the dust out, resulting in smoother scrolling once more.

Can't gather enough puff? A can of compressed air should do the job.

2. Change the Mouse Battery

If that doesn't work, then the problem might be power, rather than dust. This is especially likely if you use a wireless mouse rather than a cabled USB mouse.

To ensure that the battery is charged, open the mouse, remove the battery, and try it in another device. Alternatively, check it with a charger if you have one. A battery with above 30% charge should be fine, although you should also consider replacing it as soon as possible.

Related: Fix a Double-Clicking Windows Mouse

If you have a fully charged or fresh battery to hand, try this in the mouse. Hopefully any scrolling issues you've had should now be gone.

3. Change the Scrolling Settings

Your mouse has dedicated settings for clicks, double-clicks, speed, and scrolling.

Jumpy, irregular scrolling can potentially be fixed in the mouse settings screen. In Windows 10:

  1. Press WIN + I to open Settings
  2. Type mouse
  3. Select Change how far you scroll with the mouse wheel 
    Change mouse scrolling settings in Windows 10
  4. Adjust the slider on Choose how many lines to scroll each time (the default is 3
    Adjust the mouse scroll wheel

Switch back to your browser, word processor, or wherever scrolling is jerky and try it out. You might need to adjust the slider further.

4. Swap USB Ports

Whether you're using a wireless USB mouse or a cabled device, swapping the USB port on your PC or laptop can make all the difference to scrolling issues.

Most computers have USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports. Swapping from one type of port to another can help considerably here. Alternatively, if you're using a USB hub, remove this from the equation if possible and connect the mouse or its receiver directly to the computer.

Try your scroll wheel again – hopefully it should work again.

5. Update the Mouse Driver

Device drivers can become corrupt or conflict with other drivers. These issues are usually resolved by updating the driver. If you're using Windows 10 this is as easy as:

  1. Right-click Start
  2. Select Device Manager
  3. Find and expand Mice and other pointing devices
  4. Right-click the correct mouse
  5. Select Update Driver

Wait for the driver to update. If this was the fault, your mouse scroll wheel should now work without jumping.

6. Is Scrolling Bad in Certain Software? Update That App!

Finding that the mouse scroll wheel only misbehaves in particularly apps? Perhaps it's your browser, or your word processor. It might even be in a video game.

Whatever the case, if you have already updated your mouse's driver and this has not improved matters, consider also updating the app in question.

Updating apps differs according to the software. Often, you'll find a link to the update page in the About menu, which will help you to update the software if you don't have the download link. For video games, use the digital distribution service (e.g. Steam) to update the software.

Related: Fix a Laggy Mouse in Video Games 

7. Disable Tablet Mode on Windows

Windows 10 users may find that tablet mode interferes in the performance of the mouse, which can impact the scrolling speed.

In many cases, you might not even realize tablet mode is running (this isn't a feature on desktops or laptops). To disable tablet mode on a Windows 10 tablet or hybrid in desktop mode:

  1. In the taskbar, click the Action Center button
  2. Find Tablet mode
  3. Click to disable
  4. If tablet mode is already disabled, click it to enable and then again to disable

Smooth mouse wheel scrolling should now work.

Fix Your Mouse's Jerky Scrolling

By now you should know everything about fixing jumpy, jerky, or reverse scrolling from your mouse's scroll wheel.

You can fix an unreliable scroll wheel using these tricks:

  • Blow the dust out of the scroll wheel
  • Change the mouse battery
  • Change the mouse scroll settings
  • Swap the USB ports
  • Update the mouse's device driver
  • Update any app impacted by jerky scrolling
  • Disable tablet mode on Windows 10

If none of these options work, then the scroll wheel is probably physically damaged. In this case you need a new mouse.