How to Turn On or Off “Scroll Inactive Windows” in Windows In windows devices, the inactive windows scrolling setting lets you scroll through background windows without clicking to activate them. It's handy in multi-monitor or multitasking setups, but not everyone wants it on. In this walkthrough, we'll show you how to turn the scroll inactive window setting on or off. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. What Is “Scroll Inactive Windows”? Before we start tinkering with the scroll inactive window setting, here's how it works. With inactive window scrolling enabled. You can hover over a background window and scroll through it without clicking to bring it forward. On the other hand, disabling it means that you can only scroll on the active focused window. How to Configure the “Scroll Inactive Windows” Feature The settings app is the easiest way to toggle inactive window scrolling, perfect for individual users. Open Settings with Win + I or search for it from the Start menu. In Windows 11, go to Bluetooth & devices > Mouse. Look for the option Scroll inactive windows when hovering over them. Turn it on to enable scrolling on inactive windows, or switch it off to require the window to be focused before scrolling. The change takes effect immediately, so you'll know right away if it works the way you want. For more precise control, especially in managed setups and enterprise environments, you can edit the registry to enforce this setting per user. As a word of caution, mistakes in the Registry can affect your entire system. Make sure to create a backup before starting this method. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop On the right pane, find MouseWheelRouting. If it’s missing, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named MouseWheelRouting. To enable scrolling in inactive windows, set the DWORD value to 2. Set it to zero to disable scrolling. Log off and back in or restart to apply changes. For automation and enterprise rollouts. PowerShell is the go to option. PowerShell lets you deploy system changes across an entire network using InTune, SCCM, logon scripts, or configuration baselines. This method requires familiarity with scripting, so check out our blog for ready-to-use commands you can run directly. At the end of the day, the “scroll inactive windows” feature is all about workflow preference. For multitaskers or anyone using multiple monitors, enabling it can improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary clicking. But if you work in environments where accidental scrolling is disruptive, switching it off provides a cleaner and more predictable experience. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to turn the “scroll inactive windows” feature on or off in Windows, Linked in the description below.