On a Mac, this method may seem strange at first. But if it’s too weird, you can change it. Here’s how.
Changing Scrolling Direction in OS X for the Mouse
Two devices can scroll in macOS: mice and trackpads. You can make each one behave differently if natural scrolling feels intuitive on one but not the other. First, here’s how to change the settings for a mouse.
Changing Scrolling Direction in OS X for the Trackpad
These instructions work for a MacBook product with a built-in trackpad, as well as the Magic Trackpad Apple sells separately.
Unnatural Came First
The unnatural setting is the one both Mac and Windows computers used in earlier versions of their operating systems. Scrolling down to reveal additional information became the standard for scrolling. It especially made sense for the first mice that included scroll wheels. Their default scrolling behavior was for a downward movement of the wheel to move down on the page.
Natural Scrolling
When you have a direct interface to the viewing device, such as an iPhone or iPad’s multi-touch user interface, then natural scrolling makes more sense. With your finger directly in contact with the display, it’s more intuitive to view content that is below the window by pulling or dragging with an upward swipe. If Apple had used the indirect scrolling interface then in use on the Mac, it would have been an odd process. Placing your finger on the screen and swiping down to view content would not seem natural. When you move the interface from a finger on the screen to a mouse or trackpad that isn’t on the same physical plane as the display, the choice of a natural or unnatural scrolling interface comes down to preference.
