Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Automatic Scrolling.

Automatic Scrolling

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 2, 2021)

Mice in the PC world have, for some time now, been designed with a special little wheel or lever between the two buttons. The purpose of the wheel or lever is to scroll quickly through a long document. If you do not have such a mouse you can still get the benefits of automatic scrolling through an undocumented Word command. Simply follow these steps:

Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions click the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
At the left side of the dialog box click Customize (Word 2007) or Customize Quick Access Toolbar (Word 2010 and later versions).
Use the Choose Commands From drop-down list to choose All Commands.
In the list of available commands at the left side of the dialog box select the AutoScroll command. It may appear in the list as AutoScroll (one word) or Auto Scroll (two words).
Click Add. Word moves the command to the right side of the dialog box.
Click OK.

To use your new command, simply click on the command on the Quick Access Toolbar. When you do, the mouse pointer changes. Move the mouse pointer up or down and the document starts scrolling in that direction. The distance you move the mouse pointer up or down controls the speed at which scrolling occurs. To exit the scrolling mode, you can either press the Esc key or click the mouse button.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9859) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Automatic Scrolling.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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What is one more than 7?

2021-04-08 11:18:55

Peter Gano

I am running MS Word 16.47 as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription. I searched for the autoscroll command as per your instructions. I found almost everything else but that command. What am I missing?

Thanks you.

Peter Gano

2021-02-02 12:45:18

Karl

Hi Allan,
My Logitech wireless mouse just requires that I press the scroll wheel instead of pushing or pulling it. It scrolls in any on-screen document, not just Word.
Many people have this at their fingertips and do not know it. It makes for relaxed reading a long document.

2020-11-14 03:41:18

Ohbee

Thank you so very much

2017-09-29 10:14:44

June Julyan

Hi. This is really cool. However I have a problem with the new Office 2013 installation because the scroller is missing. (not the vertical bar, it is still there). I used to pick the scroller up with my mouse and quickly move to the top or bottom of a word document (or Outlook). Now it's gone and scrolling is slow....

Are you aware of a workaround for this?

2016-12-13 16:12:51

dean

first check for automatic scrolling are..
1. If using wireless mouse or keyboard, make sure your not blocking the signal to the device with anything between the usb that is used.
2. check your batteries in device!!!!
3. Your problem should be solved!

2016-06-03 18:37:10

Donna Sandin

That answer solved my scroll-as-I-type problem! Terrific.

2016-01-11 08:13:50

Muneebur Rahman

thanks

2015-10-13 15:56:47

AHM

What I'd really like to know someday is how to easily use the keyboard to scroll in a Microsoft Word document that's set up as a form. Suddenly the page up and page down buttons don't work because they go through each form field instead (never mind that "Tab" and "Shift Tab" already serve this function). It's really frustrating to see how the behemoths like Microsoft and Google don't really care about making their products accessible (see: the impossibility of using Google Calendar via the keyboard, even using shortcuts Google has created for the calendar).

2015-08-18 01:37:11

Chana-Rochel

I want to STOP the automatic scrolling. It's not a command that I've selected, yet this scrolling happens often in whichever document I am working on. Can you help me out with this?

2015-07-22 03:48:17

Ravi Pratap

Hi,

self ravi Pratap, i have gone through your suggestions to " scroll the text in Word" the whole page is moving according to the pointer direction

i am looking for to scroll the "text" from left to right

kindly suggest

regards
ravi

2015-04-21 02:17:10

alan williamson

Is there a speed setting for Auto Scroll? It goes way to fast for me to follow my music chord sheets as I am playing a song.

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