6 Ways to Fix Excel Not Scrolling Smoothly on Windows

Quick Tips

• Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Mouse > Advanced > decrease the vertical scrolling speed.
• Disable add-ins on Microsoft Excel to improve the program’s performance.
• Update Excel to the latest version or repair Microsoft Office from the Settings app.

Basic Fixes

• Restart PC: Restart your PC to eliminate temporary bugs and glitches.
• Turn off the power saver: Go to Settings > System > Power & Battery > change the power plan to Best Performance.
• Close unwanted apps: Close unwanted apps running on your PC to free up memory for Excel.
• Clear storage space: Clear storage space to prevent any sort of bottleneck causing performance issues on your PC.

Fix 1: Decrease Mouse Scroll Speed

If you find that Excel is moving multiple rows while scrolling and you want to smoothen it down and scroll one row at a time, consider decreasing the mouse scroll speed.

Step 1: Search and open the Control Panel from the start menu.

Step 2: Click on Hardware and Sound.

Step 3: Click on Mouse under Devices and Printers.

Step 4: Go to the Wheel tab from the top ribbon of the properties menu.

Step 5: Decrease the number of lines to 1 from 3 in the Roll the wheel one notch to scroll: option.

Step 6: Click on OK to apply and confirm the change.

Fix 2: Update Microsoft Office Version

Microsoft released the smooth scrolling feature for Excel through an update. This ensures that you don’t have a sluggish experience navigating the content on Excel. Hence, ensure you update Microsoft Office.

Step 1: Open Excel > click on File in the toolbar.

Step 2: Click on Account.

Step 3: Click on Office Updates.

Step 4: Click on Update Now.

Step 5: If you are not on the latest version, you will see an option to update it. Update the app.

Note: If you’re using the latest version, click on Close.

Fix 3: Disable Hardware Acceleration on Excel

Ideally, Hardware Acceleration uses your graphic and video cards to enhance performance, but in some cases, unsupported or buggy hardware might do the opposite — slow down processes and create a sluggish user experience.

Step 1: Open Excel and click on File in the toolbar.

Step 2: Click on Options.

Step 3: Click on Advanced in the sidebar menu and check the box for Disable hardware graphics acceleration.

Step 4: Click on OK to confirm.

Fix 4: Disable Animations on Your PC

Animations at times might get buggy or demand hardware that deprives Excel of adequate resources.

Step 1: Search for View advanced system settings in the start menu and open it from the results.

Step 2: Go to the Advanced tab on the top ribbon.

Step 3: Click on the Settings button in the Performance box.

Step 4: De-select Animate controls and elements inside windows.

Step 5: Click on OK to confirm.

Fix 5: Disable Excel Add-Ins

Excel Add-Ins and extensions may cause a few performance-related issues. Thus, causing choppy and slow scrolling.

Step 1: Open Excel and click on File in the toolbar.

Step 2: Click on Options.

Step 3: Click on Add-ins in the sidebar menu.

Step 4: Click on the Go button next to Excel Add-ins.

Step 5: De-select all the add-ins and click on OK. Go back to your spreadsheet and see if it is scrolling smoothly.

Inactivate Command Add-Ins on Excel

You need to repeat the same procedure to inactivate the command add-ins. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open Excel and click on the File option in the toolbar.

Step 2: Click on Options.

Step 3: Click on Add-ins in the sidebar menu.

Step 4: Click on the Excel Add-Ins drop-down menu and select COM Add-Ins.

Step 5: Click on GO.

Step 6: Deactivate the Add-ins and click on OK.

Fix 6: Repair Microsoft Excel

Repairing Microsoft Office efficiently solves a majority of issues affecting the user experience.

Step 1: Search and open the Settings app from the start menu.

Step 2: Click on Apps in the sidebar. Select Apps & features.

Step 3: Scroll down to find Microsoft Office. Click on the three dots next to it > Modify.

Step 4: Use either of the options to repair Microsoft Office and click on Repair. You can repair and fix the issues affecting it.