Why is my mouse scrolling so slow on Mac?

The Scroll speed slider in Accessibility > Pointer Control > Mouse Options is probably set low, or mouse software such as Logi Options+ is setting its own speed. Some apps also scroll fewer pixels per line than others.

Does changing mouse scroll speed change the trackpad?

No. The mouse uses the slider under Mouse Options and the trackpad uses the one under Trackpad Options. Every mouse shares the mouse slider, though, the Magic Mouse included.

Can I have different mouse settings for each app on a Mac?

Not with macOS alone. Mos (free), Logi Options+ for supported Logitech mice, and Scrollwise Pro can set scrolling per app.

How do I change mouse wheel sensitivity on a Mac?

macOS only offers the Scroll speed slider. To change how far one notch or a fast spin goes, use an app with wheel settings, such as Scrollwise Pro's Lines per notch and Wheel acceleration.

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Mac guide

How to change mouse scroll speed on a Mac without changing the trackpad

By Aqib Javed · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Open System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control, click Mouse Options and drag the Scroll speed slider. The trackpad has its own slider under Trackpad Options, so it keeps its speed. The mouse slider covers every mouse you connect, the Magic Mouse included, and it is the same in every app. To give each mouse or each app its own speed, you need an app such as Scrollwise Pro ($2.99 once).

How to change mouse scroll speed in macOS

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar.
Click Pointer Control, then click Mouse Options.
Drag the Scroll speed slider to the right to scroll faster or to the left to scroll slower, then click OK.
Scroll a long web page to test it, and adjust again if a notch still moves too far or not far enough.
For the trackpad, click Trackpad Options instead. It has its own Scroll speed slider, separate from the mouse.

Apple documents this path for macOS 13 Ventura through macOS 27. On macOS 14 Sonoma, Mouse settings also show a Scrolling speed slider when a wheel mouse is connected, but not for a Magic Mouse, so the Accessibility path is the one that works for every mouse.

Why mouse scrolling feels too fast or too slow

Scroll acceleration. macOS moves a page a little for a slow notch and much further for a fast spin. System Settings has no switch for this, so a speed that suits slow reading can feel wild when you flick the wheel.
One slider for every mouse. A free-spinning wheel, a notched office mouse and a Magic Mouse all share the Mouse Options slider, so speeding up one speeds up the rest.
The app. A wheel scrolls in lines, and each app decides how tall a line is, so the same notch moves further in some apps than in others.
Mouse software. Logi Options+ and similar apps add their own scroll speed for the mice they support, on top of the macOS slider. If the slider seems to do nothing, check there.

Different mouse settings per app

Mos is free and open source. Each app can keep the global settings or override its scrolling, shortcuts and button bindings.
Logi Options+ has app-specific settings for the Logitech mice it supports.
Scrollwise Pro has an Apps tab where each app gets its own direction, speed, smooth scrolling and side buttons. It switches the moment you change apps.

macOS has no per-app mouse settings at all. Scroll speed, scroll direction and pointer speed are the same in Safari, Figma, Excel and everything else. If you want slow, precise scrolling in a design app and fast scrolling in the browser, you need a third-party tool.

How to set scroll speed per mouse and per app with Scrollwise

Download Scrollwise from its page, drag it into Applications, open it and allow Accessibility access. Fixing scroll direction is free; speed settings are part of Scrollwise Pro, $2.99 once, which you can try free for 7 days from the app.
Click the Scrollwise icon in the menu bar to open its settings. Every connected mouse and trackpad has its own card.
Pick a mouse. Under Speed and feel, choose whether the settings are for only this mouse or every mouse of its kind, then drag Scroll speed.
On a wheel mouse, Lines per notch sets how far one notch goes, and Wheel acceleration sets how much further a fast spin goes.
For a per-app speed, open the Apps tab, click Choose from Applications…, pick the app and turn on Own speed.

Everything you don't set keeps the macOS slider. Profiles can switch a whole set of these settings by themselves when a particular mouse or display connects, for example a desk mouse at the office and a travel mouse at home.

Questions

How do I change mouse scroll speed on a Mac?: Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control, click Mouse Options and drag the Scroll speed slider. Right is faster, left is slower.
Why is my mouse scrolling so slow on Mac?: The Scroll speed slider in Accessibility > Pointer Control > Mouse Options is probably set low, or mouse software such as Logi Options+ is setting its own speed. Some apps also scroll fewer pixels per line than others.
Does changing mouse scroll speed change the trackpad?: No. The mouse uses the slider under Mouse Options and the trackpad uses the one under Trackpad Options. Every mouse shares the mouse slider, though, the Magic Mouse included.
Can I have different mouse settings for each app on a Mac?: Not with macOS alone. Mos (free), Logi Options+ for supported Logitech mice, and Scrollwise Pro can set scrolling per app.
How do I change mouse wheel sensitivity on a Mac?: macOS only offers the Scroll speed slider. To change how far one notch or a fast spin goes, use an app with wheel settings, such as Scrollwise Pro's Lines per notch and Wheel acceleration.