Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Controlling the Behavior of the Mouse Wheel.
If you have a computer mouse that has a wheel between its two buttons, you may know that Excel recognizes the wheel and allows you to use it for different purposes. The default behavior of the wheel is to scroll your worksheet up and down. You can modify how Excel reacts to moving the wheel by following these steps:
Figure 1. The Advanced options of the Excel Options dialog box.
Now when you use the mouse wheel, Excel zooms your worksheet in and out. If you decide you again want to use the wheel to scroll, simply repeat the steps but clear the check box.
It should be noted that if you only need to change the behavior temporarily, you can do so by holding down the Ctrl key as you move the mouse wheel. If you have Excel configured to use the mouse wheel to scroll up and down through the worksheet (the check box in step 4 is not selected), then holding down Ctrl as you roll zooms in and out. If you have the step-4 check box selected, then holding down Ctrl while you roll scrolls through the worksheet.
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9395) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Controlling the Behavior of the Mouse Wheel.
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2020-07-27 08:26:35
Nguri
I am immensely grateful for this article. It has really been of help today.
Thank you. Nguri
2020-05-23 12:59:35
scesena
thank you so much. I've been working with the zoom on wheel for so long and didn't know how to correct. Thanks again!! God Bless.
2018-11-19 12:36:47
Ghanshyam
Thank you!
2017-11-16 12:12:52
Kyle Delaney
I just want to change how much the scroll wheel scrolls...
2017-07-04 05:21:22
krishna
Thank you very much!!
2017-05-16 05:54:34
jiedian
this is very helpful, thank you!!!!
2016-10-30 10:32:12
Ian
How do i adjust the amount of zoom when hold control and rolling the mouse wheel in excel 2016? I would like it to scroll a lesser number of lines.
2016-07-28 15:23:42
Michael
Helped me out tremendously! Thank you.
2016-07-18 23:13:26
xypho
I was looking for a way to have the mouse wheel tilt enabled, and I became really hopeful when I saw this post, until I realised it was just about the zooming vs scrolling behaviour...
Disappointed...
2016-05-03 08:26:17
gerdami
When I zoom with the mouse, the increment is +- 15%.
How can set it to 5%?
2016-03-31 19:47:16
Link
It doesn't work. It worked when I had Windows 7, but it isn't working in Windows 10.
In every single other app, when I slide two fingers up and down my trackpad, the screen scrolls. This is the only app where it doesn't work.
I've checked, and the box for zooming isn't checked either.
Any ideas?
2016-03-03 06:01:52
Pratik
Thanks a lot sir. May god bless you
2016-01-04 15:20:24
onesoldier
Panos,
Go to Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Mouse, Wheel
Change the 3 to a 1
2015-12-17 20:09:18
stephany
do you know how to set up the mouse to hit the side button and scroll quickly through excel sheets
2015-12-01 06:07:39
SYED
Thank you sir, I have solve the problem with the help of above tips
2015-08-18 10:44:42
Lily
Thank you this was very helpful
2015-04-28 09:31:30
Panos
Hi, i was wondering if there is a way when scrolling down to just scroll doen a few rows and not a whole page. This is useful at large screens when you don't want to have the last row down to the bottom. I want to scroll down or up a few rows at a time not whole pages.
2015-02-15 07:02:17
divyesh
thanks
2015-01-13 09:14:28
Glenn Case
Note that if you want to use the scroll wheel for normal up/down scrolling, but occasionally need to zoom in or out, holding the CRTL key down while rolling the scroll wheel will change to zoom operation. Releasing the CTRL key reverts the operation to a normal scroll up/down.
2015-01-12 05:22:44
Saat
Its resolved a BIG problem I often faced between my Excel and Mouse-Scroll just like that very simply. Thanks!
2014-11-28 09:31:43
Tourchian
Thanks a Lot
2014-11-24 18:44:42
Jaisah
Hi, I'm wondering if there is some way to change the sensitivity when you pan using the scroll wheel. When you click the scroll wheel down it allows you to pan all over the document however it is made almost useless by the stupid sensitivity settings. It scrolls painfully slowly until you move past a certain point where it rockets into the distance, far away from where you were trying to go. Is there any option in excel or even a system wide option in Windows that allows you to change the sensitivity or say, set a maximum scroll speed?
2014-05-21 15:03:33
Deen
Thanks a lot!!
2014-05-20 11:55:52
Seppo Rausio
Thanks for the tips controlling mouse wheel. it solved my problem in Excel with the right mouse button did not respond to the rows or cells to reproduce or removal direct command.
I do not understand why I lost the right mouse button is pushed, the operation. Now everything is back to normal.
2014-03-22 10:34:02
Jerry
Thanks for the comment about temporarily changing the function of the scroll wheel by holding down CTRL. I found that it works in Internet Explorer and Word (and probably other applications) too! Good to know!
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: 
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