How to Configure Scroll Bars in OS X and macOS
Set up your scroll bars to meet your own personal preferences.
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. In the System Preferences window, choose the General icon near the upper left corner. Locate the Show Scroll Bars area. You have three options: Automatically based on mouse or trackpad: Scroll bars appear only when the cursor is in the scroll bar area or when you start scrolling. When Scrolling: Scroll bars show up only when you start scrolling on your mouse or trackpad. Always: Scroll bars are always visible. The second section, Click in the scroll bar to, has two options: Jump to the next page: Clicking in the scroll bar moves to the next or previous page of the document or page you’re on, depending on whether you click below or above the scroll box. Jump to the spot that’s clicked: The scroll box will move to wherever your cursor is. Exit System Preferences. Your new scroll bar configurations are set. These settings will apply across all your Mac applications.
Control Your Scrolling Speed
Apple also makes it easy to adjust the scrolling speed of your mouse or trackpad.
Automatically based on mouse or trackpad: Scroll bars appear only when the cursor is in the scroll bar area or when you start scrolling. When Scrolling: Scroll bars show up only when you start scrolling on your mouse or trackpad. Always: Scroll bars are always visible.
Jump to the next page: Clicking in the scroll bar moves to the next or previous page of the document or page you’re on, depending on whether you click below or above the scroll box. Jump to the spot that’s clicked: The scroll box will move to wherever your cursor is.
In macOS Catalina
The interface is a little different with Catalina than earlier macOS and OS X versions.
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. From the System Preferences window, select Accessibility. In the left sidebar, select Pointer Control. Select Trackpad Options or Mouse Options. Use the slider to adjust scrolling speed. Close System Preferences.
In OS X Lion Through Mojave
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences. From the System Preferences window, select Accessibility. In the left sidebar, select Mouse & Trackpad. To adjust your mouse or trackpad’s double-click speed, adjust the slider. To adjust your mouse or trackpad’s scrolling speed, select the Trackpad Options or Mouse Options button. In the screen that appears, use the slider to adjust the scrolling speed of your device and then select OK. Enable or disable scrolling for your mouse or trackpad via the checkbox. Close out of the Accessibility window. You’ve set your new preferences.
