Magic Mouse Not Scrolling

For power users whose Magic Mouse is not scrolling due to a corrupted preference file, you can use Terminal to nuke the Bluetooth cache.

Warning: This will reset all Bluetooth devices. You will have to re-pair your keyboard, trackpad, and mouse afterward. Do not do this if you only have one input device.

Alternatively, to delete the corrupt plist file: magic mouse not scrolling

For Intel-based Macs:

For M1-based Macs:

It sounds obvious, but sometimes the scrolling feature gets accidentally disabled. This is particularly common if you share your computer with others or recently updated your macOS.

Pro Tip: If the scrolling feels "backwards" (scrolling up moves the page down), this is actually the default "Natural" setting. If you prefer the old-school way, simply uncheck this box. For power users whose Magic Mouse is not

Unlike traditional mice with a wheel, the Magic Mouse uses a capacitive touch sensor on the top surface. Oil, dead skin, or residue creates "dead spots."

Fix:

It is the oldest tech support joke in the book, but it works. The Magic Mouse relies on a constant Bluetooth stream of data. Sometimes, that handshake gets muddled.

Bluetooth connections can become "buggy" after long periods of use. A hard reset of the connection often clears the cache and restores functionality. Alternatively, to delete the corrupt plist file: For

For power users whose Magic Mouse is not scrolling due to a corrupted preference file, you can use Terminal to nuke the Bluetooth cache.

Warning: This will reset all Bluetooth devices. You will have to re-pair your keyboard, trackpad, and mouse afterward. Do not do this if you only have one input device.

Alternatively, to delete the corrupt plist file:

For Intel-based Macs:

For M1-based Macs:

It sounds obvious, but sometimes the scrolling feature gets accidentally disabled. This is particularly common if you share your computer with others or recently updated your macOS.

Pro Tip: If the scrolling feels "backwards" (scrolling up moves the page down), this is actually the default "Natural" setting. If you prefer the old-school way, simply uncheck this box.

Unlike traditional mice with a wheel, the Magic Mouse uses a capacitive touch sensor on the top surface. Oil, dead skin, or residue creates "dead spots."

Fix:

It is the oldest tech support joke in the book, but it works. The Magic Mouse relies on a constant Bluetooth stream of data. Sometimes, that handshake gets muddled.

Bluetooth connections can become "buggy" after long periods of use. A hard reset of the connection often clears the cache and restores functionality.

General FAQ