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How to disable inactive window scrolling in Windows 10
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Published onApril 5, 2019
published onApril 5, 2019
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Windows 10 added a new convenience feature to make it easier to interact with background windows. Named Inactive Window Scrolling, it enables you to scroll the contents of inactive windows by hovering your cursor and using the scroll wheel.
Inactive window scrolling simplifies the Windows desktop experience and addresses a longstanding usability complaint. Previously, scrolling a background window required you to switch to it, perform the scroll, and switch back again, adding two cumbersome steps to your workflow.
Inactive window scrolling resolves this issue but isn’t necessarily for everyone – some users may find it confusing if they have difficulty tracking onscreen content or using a mouse precisely. Turning it off – or on, if it’s disabled and you want to use it – is a simple button click.
Open the Settings app (Win+I keyboard shortcut) and click the “Devices” category on the homepage. From the sidebar on the left, click or tap the “Mouse” page to view mouse settings.
At the bottom of the page, toggle the “Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them” option to “off” to disable the feature. Alternatively, turn it on to use inactive window scrolling.
If you turned the feature off, you’ll find background windows no longer respond to mouse wheel scroling – just like in Windows 8.1 and before. Conversely, if you enabled inactive window scrolling, you can now hover your mouse over a background window and use the mouse wheel to scroll its contents.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
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Radu Tyrsina
