Troubleshooting Tips to Fix Scrolling Issues on Your Macbook

Troubleshooting Scrolling Issues on a Mac

It is possible that the Scrolling feature on your Mac has been disabled. To enable scrolling, go to System Preferences > Accessibility > Mouse & Trackpad and make sure the Scrolling box is checked. If it is already checked but you still can’t scroll down, try restarting your Mac to see if that resolves the issue. If not, then it’s possible there is a hardware issue with your trackpad or mouse.

Inability to Scroll Down on Mac Using Arrow Keys

The most likely reason you can’t scroll down on your Mac with arrow keys is that the Scroll Lock feature is enabled. Scroll Lock allows you to scroll through documents and web pages without having to use the arrow keys. To turn off Scroll Lock, press the fn + Shift + F12 keys on your Mac. If this does not work, it may be because you have changed the default key settings in your system preferences. In that case, go to System Preferences > Keyboard and check the settings for your keyboard shortcuts.

Forcing Scroll Down on a Mac

To force scroll down on a Mac, you can use two-finger scrolling. To do so, place two fingers on the trackpad and move them both up or down together in a sliding motion. This will cause the page to scroll down. Alternatively, you can press the Control key and click the trackpad at the same time to scroll down quickly.

Source: wired.com

Unlocking Scroll Lock on Mac

If you’re using an Apple keyboard, you can quickly unlock Scroll Lock by pressing the F14 key + the Fn key. If you don’t have an Fn key on your keyboard, you can use the Shift key + F14 to enable or disable Scroll Lock.
To make sure that Scroll Lock is enabled or disabled on your Mac, open the Apple menu and select System Preferences. In the System Preferences window, click Keyboard. Under the Keyboard, check the box beside “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”. This will allow you to use the F14 key to toggle Scroll Lock on and off.
Once you’ve enabled this feature in System Preferences, simply press the Fn key + F14 to turn Scroll Lock on or off.

Inability to Scroll Down Using Arrow Keys

Your arrow keys may not be able to scroll down because the Scroll Lock feature on your keyboard is enabled. Scroll Lock is a toggle key (labeled as ScrLk) on most keyboards that allows you to use the arrow keys to scroll through text, rather than move between cells in a spreadsheet. To disable it, simply press the Scroll Lock key once. If your keyboard doesn’t have this key, you can turn off Scroll Lock by using the On-Screen Keyboard.

Unfreezing a Mac Arrow

If your Mac arrow is frozen, the best way to unfreeze it is to reset your computer. To do this, shut down your Mac and then hold down the Command-Option-P-R keys on your keyboard and press the power button. Keep holding these keys until you hear a startup chime, then release them after the second chime or if your Mac has a T2 security chip, release them after the Apple logo shows up and disappears twice. This should reset your Mac and hopefully allow it to function properly again.

Troubleshooting Scrolling Issues with a Mac Touchpad

If you are having difficulty scrolling with your Mac’s touchpad, it is likely because the Scrolling feature is not enabled. To enable scrolling, go to Apple –> System Preferences –> Accessibility, choose “Mouse & Trackpad” from the left column, and click on the “Trackpad Options…” button in the right window. Make sure that the box called “Scrolling” is checked. Once this option is enabled, you should be able to scroll with your touchpad. If you are still having trouble after enabling this feature, you may need to adjust the sensitivity of your trackpad by adjusting the Tracking Speed slider at the bottom of this same window.

Scrolling Down on a Mac: Shortcut Keys

The shortcut for scrolling down on a Mac is to press the Page Down key or the Space bar. This will move the page down one screen at a time. You can also use a gesture by swiping two fingers down the trackpad.

Conclusion

After reviewing the potential causes, it appears that the most common cause of a MacBook not scrolling down is a low battery in the wireless mouse or trackpad. Changing the batteries or switching to rechargeable batteries can help resolve this issue. Additionally, if Scroll Lock is enabled on an Apple computer, then pressing the fn + Shift + F12 key combination should disable it and allow for normal scrolling. If none of these solutions work, then further troubleshooting may be necessary, and help from an Apple technician may be needed.