How To Fix Scrolling Not Working In Chrome (2026)

Your mouse wheel, touchpad or arrow keys do nothing in Chrome, or the page scrolls in jerky bursts.

This is usually caused by an extension, a stale Chrome profile, a rendering setting or the mouse itself, and it is fixable.

Work through the fixes below in order, because the first ones take under a minute and change nothing permanent.

Step 1: Find out where the problem is

Test the same mouse in another browser and in a non-browser app such as File Explorer, and keep the test the same each time.

Step 2: Rule out the mouse and Windows

If the wheel fails in every app, the problem is not Chrome.

• Wired mouse: unplug it and use a different USB port, avoiding hubs while testing.
• Wireless receiver: reconnect it to another port, away from crowded hubs.
• Bluetooth mouse: remove the mouse in Windows Bluetooth settings and pair it again.
• Battery mouse: fit fresh batteries or fully charge it.
• Windows: install updates under Settings > Windows Update, then restart.

To check the driver, open Device Manager, expand Mice and other pointing devices, right-click your mouse or touchpad, and choose Update driver.

If the wheel stopped right after an update, restart Windows so the driver reloads.

A basic wired USB mouse is a good diagnostic, since it bypasses the original mouse’s battery, receiver and pairing.

For wireless problems, see our Bluetooth mouse not working guide.

Step 3: Check the Windows scrolling settings

Microsoft’s mouse page gives one set of steps for Windows 10 and 11.

1. Open Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse.
2. Under Scrolling, check that Roll the mouse wheel to scroll is not set to something unexpected.
3. Use the Lines to scroll at a time slider to set how far each notch moves.
4. Toggle Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on.

The toggle trick is a long-standing suggestion for wheels that stop responding, and it takes seconds to try.

Step 4: Update and relaunch Chrome

1. Click the three-dot menu in Chrome.
2. Choose Help > About Google Chrome.
3. Let Chrome install any update, then click Relaunch.

If there is no Relaunch button, close every Chrome window and open the browser again.

Step 5: Disable extensions and test Incognito

Extensions are a common cause of Chrome-only scrolling problems.

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+N to open an Incognito window and test the same site.
2. Open chrome://extensions and turn off every extension.
3. Reload the page and test the wheel.
4. If scrolling returns, turn extensions back on one at a time, reloading after each.

The last extension you enabled before the problem returned is a suspect rather than proof, so test it on several pages before removing it.

Incognito mode normally disables extensions unless you allowed them there, so a working Incognito window points to an extension or profile state.

Step 6: Test a temporary profile

1. Click the profile icon at the top right of Chrome.
2. Choose Add and create a profile without importing anything.
3. Test the problem page before signing in or installing extensions.

If scrolling works there, something in your normal profile is the cause, and a failure in both profiles points to a browser-wide issue.

Do not delete your normal profile while diagnosing, because it may hold data that is not synced.

Step 7: Toggle hardware acceleration

1. Open Chrome Settings > System.
2. Switch Use hardware acceleration when available off, then click Relaunch.
3. Retest, and if it was already off, turn it on and retest.

Why does Chrome scroll in jerky bursts?

Compare a simple page with a media-heavy one first, because one site’s scripts, ads or animations may be the only culprit.

If only one site stutters, the fault is likely that site rather than Chrome or your mouse.

Also compare hardware acceleration on and off, and keep changes to one setting at a time so you know what helped.

If the scrollbar itself is missing, see Chrome scroll bar missing fixes.

Should you change the smooth scrolling flag?

Older guides tell you to disable smooth scrolling at chrome://flags, but flags are experimental and can change or disappear.

Chromium’s own issue tracker shows a smooth scrolling flag has expired and been restored more than once, and that no dedicated Chrome setting exists.

Treat it as a last experiment rather than a first fix, and reset the flag to Default if it changes nothing.

Step 8: Reset Chrome settings

1. Click the three-dot menu and choose Settings.
2. Open Reset settings and choose to restore settings to their original defaults.
3. Confirm the reset.

The reset applies to your Chrome profile on every device where you are signed in.

Where each Chrome setting lives

Use this table to jump straight to the setting you need.

If nothing works

• Reinstall Chrome: uninstall it, download the current version from Google, and restart the computer.
• Replace the mouse: only if the wheel fails in every app, and a basic wired mouse scrolls normally.
• Return to Chrome tests: if a replacement mouse fails only in Chrome, go back to extensions, profile and acceleration.

Slow or jumpy cursor movement is a different problem, covered in our slow cursor and DPI button guide.

Official references: Chrome Help: reset settings and Microsoft Support: change mouse settings.