5 Ways to Fix Google Sheets Won’t Let Me Scroll Error

Quick Tips

• Open the settings menu on your browser and clear the cache for Google and Google Sheets.
• Go to your browser’s extension page and disable any newly added extensions.
• Open Chrome Flags > go to Smooth Scrolling > click drop-down > select Disabled > restart Chrome.

Basic Fixes:

• Check if Scroll Lock is enabled: Some keyboards have a physical Scroll Lock key that blocks scrolling features on your device. So, check and ensure the Scroll Lock key is disabled before troubleshooting.
• Scroll using the scroll bar: Most browsers have a scroll bar on the right side of the page. You can click on it to scroll through your Google Sheets manually.
• Use the two-finger scroll: Certain laptop trackpads allow you to scroll through a page using two fingers. To do this, place two fingers on the trackpad and gently move up and down. This should help you scroll through the relevant page in Google Sheets.
• Check for browser updates: Software bugs in your browser can prevent certain website features from working properly. When this happens, check and ensure your browser is updated to the latest version.

Fix 1: Use an External Mouse

If your device’s trackpad is not working properly, it might cause issues when scrolling in Google Sheets. In this case, connect an external mouse to your laptop. Then, use the mouse wheel to scroll in Google Sheets.

Fix 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration

While hardware acceleration can help offload browser tasks to free up space, it might cause certain functions, like scrolling, to lag or not work properly. So, disable hardware acceleration on your browser. Follow the below steps to do it.

On Chrome

Step 1: Open Chrome and click the three-dot icon. Click on Settings.

Step 2: Go to the System tab and turn off the Use graphics acceleration when available toggle.

On Edge

Step 1: Open Edge and click the three-dot icon at the top-right corner. Click on Settings.

Step 2: Click on System and performance → turn off the Use hardware acceleration when available toggle and restart Edge.

On Firefox

Step 1: Open Firefox → click on the hamburger icon at the top-right corner → click on Settings.

Step 2: Click on General and unselect Use hardware acceleration when available → restart Firefox.

Fix 3: Disable Browser Extensions

Certain browser extensions, like the Logitech SetPoint extension, can interfere with page functioning. This can also cause issues like Google Sheets not letting you scroll. To fix it, disable the extensions on your browser, especially the recently added ones. Then, reload the page and check again. Here’s how.

On Chrome

Step 1: Open Chrome → three-dot icon. Go to Extensions and click on Manage Extensions.

Step 2: Turn off the relevant extension toggles.

On Edge

Step 1: Open Edge and click on the extension icon. Click on Manage extension.

Step 2: Turn off the relevant extension toggles.

On Firefox

Step 1: Open Firefox. Use the Ctrl + Shift + A key to go to Firefox’s Add-ons Manager page.

Step 2: Turn off the toggle for the relevant extensions.

Fix 4: Clear Browser Cache and Cookies

Caches and cookies usually help improve browser and site performance. However, if this data gets corrupted or too big, it can disrupt site operations. So, use the below steps to clear the cache and cookies for Google and Google Sheets on your browser.

Tip: You can also check out our guide to learn more about clearing the cache and cookies for only one site on Chrome.

On Edge

Step 1: Open Edge. Enter edge://settings/siteData in the address bar and press enter.

Step 2: Once Edge’s Site Data page opens, click on the relevant site data.

Step 3: Click the bin icon to clear cache and cookies data.

On Firefox

Step 1: Open Firefox and go to the relevant page.

Step 2: Click the lock icon in the address bar and click on Clear cookies and site data.

Step 3: Click on Remove when prompted.

Fix 5: Disable Smooth Scrolling in Chrome

Flags are Chrome’s experimental features that can help add functionality to the browser. However, certain Chrome Flags can also interfere with browser functioning. So, if you have issues while scrolling in Google Sheets, disable the Smooth Scrolling flag and see if this fixes the issue.

Step 1: Open Chrome, type chrome://flags/#smooth-scrolling in the address bar, and press enter.

Step 2: Once the Smooth Scrolling flag is visible, click on the drop-down and select Disabled.

Restart Chrome when prompted. Once done, open the relevant page in Google Sheets and see if the issue has been fixed.