How to Enable Two-Finger Scroll on Windows Laptops

Are you swiping at your Windows 10 laptop and wondering why the two-finger scroll isn’t working? There are a few ways to fix this problem, from enabling the setting to ensuring your drivers are working as they should.

Let’s explore some easy ways to enable a double-finger scroll in Windows 10.

Enabling the Two-Finger Scroll Option

First of all, before we do anything technical, it’s a good idea to double-check that the setting for a two-finger scroll is enabled. We don’t want to mess around with drivers if the solution is as easy as ticking a checkbox!

To check if the setting is enabled, click on the Start button, followed by the “Settings” option.

Click on “Devices.”

Finally, click on “Touchpad” on the left.

You’re now in the Windows 10 touchpad settings. You may see a lot of options here, and you should give them all a look-over when you have the time.

If your laptop has a precision touchpad, for example, it unlocks a lot of gestures you can perform. To check if you have one, look at the top of the touchpad window to see if it says “Your PC has a precision touchpad.”

If you have one, you gain access to a lot of settings that let you get the most out of your touchpad. For now, however, let’s focus on double-finger scrolling.

To activate it, scroll through the window until you see the category “Scroll and Zoom.” Underneath that is a checkbox labeled “Drag two fingers to scroll.” If it’s unchecked, go ahead and check it.

Now you should be able to use two fingers to scroll through webpages and documents.

Customizing the Two-Finger Scroll

You can also set which direction the page will scroll when you swipe. Underneath the checkbox you just ticked is a drop-down menu called “Scrolling direction.” You can set this to one of two options.

“Downward motion scrolls down” feels like you’re controlling the page’s scroll bar with your fingers. When you move your fingers down, the page moves down, like when you click and hold the scroll bar.

“Downward motion scrolls up,” on the other hand, feels like you’re physically touching and dragging the page up and down with your fingers. Play around with both settings to find the one that feels natural to you.

Update or Roll Back the Touchpad’s Driver

If the above steps do not work, or the checkbox is already ticked when you check it, there’s still hope. The problem may not be with Windows 10’s settings, but instead with the touchpad’s driver.

Try to remember if this problem began after you installed new drivers. If they did, rolling back the new drivers will fix it. If you haven’t downloaded them in a long time, or you’re on a brand-new Windows 10 laptop, you should try installing new drivers.

How to Install New Touchpad Drivers

To install a new driver, look up the manufacturer for your laptop. Then, head on over to their website and hunt down the driver download page. You’ll need your laptop model name or model number on-hand so you can find the right drivers.

Once you find your laptop’s driver download page, install the latest touchpad driver, then restart your laptop.  If you still can’t scroll with two fingers, ensure the option hasn’t turned itself off in the Windows 10 settings during the reinstallation.

How to Roll Back the Touchpad’s Drivers

If you recently updated your drivers and your two-finger scroll broke immediately afterward, rolling back to the drivers you used before should fix the problem. To do this, click the Start button, then type “device manager.” Then, press Enter.

Expand the category called “Human Interface Devices,” right-click your touchpad drivers, then click “Properties.”

Go to the “Driver” tab, then click “Roll Back Driver.”

If the button is greyed out, it may be because your computer has already cleaned up the old driver. As such, it’s best to try to find a download link to the old driver and re-install it. Some manufacturers let you select from a history of drivers, which is useful in cases such as these.

Double-Check for Manufacturer Software

If none of the above work, you may have manufacturer software installed that took over the touchpad’s settings. This software is likely to have its own setting for two-finger scrolling.

There’s no single way to check for third-party software; you’ll have to do some digging through your laptop’s programs. If you do find a touchpad settings program, see if you can enable two-finger scrolling through it. If not, try updating the program or even uninstalling it to see if that fixes the issue.

How to Enable or Disable Two-Finger Scrolling in Inactive Windows

Did you know that you can scroll in an inactive window using two fingers? For example, if you’re typing away in a document, you can move your cursor over the website you’re researching and use two-finger scrolling to continue down the text without clicking in the window.

This is a handy feature if you dislike having to click between windows all the time; on the other hand, some people prefer the scroll to only affect the window that you’re currently working in. Regardless of your stance, you can easily enable or disable this feature.

First, go to the Devices settings page as we covered above. Now, instead of clicking Touchpad on the left, click “Mouse.”

Find the toggle that says “Scroll inactive windows when I hover over them” and set it on or off, depending on preference.

Making Your Touchpad Do More

Laptop touchpads can do a lot, especially if you own a precision touchpad. Two-finger scrolling is helpful and easy to enable, so give it a try.

Now that you’re becoming more familiar with your touchpad’s features, why not learn all the essential touchpad gestures in Windows 10!

Read the full article: How to Enable Two-Finger Scroll on Windows Laptops

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