UnnaturalScrollWheels
Theron Tjapkes and contributors · Separate mouse-wheel scrolling from trackpad natural scrolling, with inversion, acceleration and wheel-step controls.
UnnaturalScrollWheels is a Utilities app for Mac.
About
UnnaturalScrollWheels is a small macOS menu-bar utility for people who want conventional mouse-wheel scrolling while keeping a trackpad's natural scrolling. It distinguishes wheel input from trackpad input and provides independent horizontal and vertical inversion settings.
Mouse controls
Disable scroll acceleration, choose how many lines move per wheel click, and optionally disable mouse acceleration for 1:1 pointer movement. An alternate detection method can help when a device's scrolling is not classified as expected. The menu-bar icon can be hidden, and the application can run at login. Test preferences with your own mouse, trackpad and applications; unusual hardware or other input utilities may interact with event detection.
Installation and permissions
Mount the official 1.4.2 DMG and copy the app to Applications, or use brew install --cask unnaturalscrollwheels. The exact official DMG is 4,305,173 bytes. This is a Mac input utility, not a Windows/Linux package. Static inspection of the official 1.4.2 DMG confirms app build 195 and a universal main executable containing Intel x86_64 and Apple Silicon arm64. The bundle minimum is macOS 10.13; the Intel executable slice declares 10.13 and the arm64 slice declares 11.0. These inspected metadata values do not establish all helper, device or OS-feature compatibility. Version 1.4.0 specifically includes macOS Tahoe fixes. No precise RAM requirement is published in the inspected material.
Accessibility permission is required so the utility can intercept and modify scrolling events. Grant it to the downloaded, trusted app through macOS Privacy & Security settings. Recheck permission if event handling stops after an app update. This is powerful input access: use the official release and avoid granting equivalent access to unknown binaries. The 1.4.2 release removes an unnecessary Apple Events entitlement; that change does not remove the documented Accessibility requirement.
License, connectivity and cautions
The repository includes the GNU GPL version 3 license and distributes the app as free software; optional sponsorship supports the project. Ordinary local input adjustment needs no account or cloud service. Network access is used for downloading releases, opening project links and any update checking. Keep a way to quit the app or revert preferences if movement becomes inconvenient, and avoid stacking multiple scroll-rewriting utilities without testing. Removing the app does not necessarily revoke its stored Accessibility entry; manage permissions in macOS settings when needed.
The official README screenshot visibly shows version 1.2.0, illustrating preferences and the menu rather than the exact 1.4.2 interface. The catalog contains only two distinct versions, 1.4.2 and 1.4.0; both have official notes, and no third catalog version is invented.
Sources: Official repository and README, 1.4.2 release, 1.4.0 release, GPL license.
New What’s new in 1.4.2 Oct 7 · OpenNavo editorial
- SecurityRemove the unnecessary Apple Events entitlement.
Install and uninstall
Homebrew installs the app in your Applications folder.
Install without Homebrew
Download the same file Homebrew uses: github.com/ther0n/UnnaturalScrollWheels/releases/download/1.4.2/UnnaturalScrollWheels-1.4.2.dmg
SHA-256 only checks that the download is complete; it is not a security certification. See the SHA-256 and download address
$ brew uninstall --cask \unnaturalscrollwheelsA regular uninstall removes the app and keeps its settings and caches.
$ brew uninstall --zap --cask \unnaturalscrollwheels--zap also deletes the settings, caches and other files listed in the Homebrew definition. They can include data shared with other apps and cannot be restored, and it does not guarantee that nothing is left.See which files are removed
Facts and sources
- Version 1.4.2
- Recorded by Homebrew on Aug 3Released by the vendor on Oct 7
Questions
Is UnnaturalScrollWheels safe?
UnnaturalScrollWheels is in Homebrew’s official catalog and has not been disabled. Since September 2026, Homebrew disables apps that fail macOS Gatekeeper checks. When installing, Homebrew checks the download from github.com against its SHA-256 checksum. It was installed 435 times through Homebrew in the last 30 days.
Is UnnaturalScrollWheels open source?
UnnaturalScrollWheels’s source code is public on GitHub (ther0n/UnnaturalScrollWheels) under the GPL-3.0 license.
How do I completely uninstall UnnaturalScrollWheels on a Mac?
Run brew uninstall --cask unnaturalscrollwheels. It quits the app. To delete its settings and caches as well, run brew uninstall --zap --cask unnaturalscrollwheels. That also deletes 3 files and folders, including ~/.
Does UnnaturalScrollWheels run on Apple silicon (M1 and later) Macs?
Homebrew installs it on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, from the same download.
Where does UnnaturalScrollWheels store its settings and data?
Its settings are in ~/. Its data is in ~/. These locations come from Homebrew’s clean-up list.
What is the latest version of UnnaturalScrollWheels?
The latest version is 1.4.2, added to Homebrew on Aug 3. Run brew upgrade --cask unnaturalscrollwheels to update it.