https://mmazzarolo.com/blog/2021-07-11-scrolling-with-a-third-party-mouse-on-macos-looks-horrible/

 
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[svg]Mazzarolo MatteoMazzarolo Matteo

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Scrolling with a third-party mouse looks horrible on macOS

Jul 11, 2021

If you're using a third-party mouse on macOS, you must have noticed
that the scrolling experience is... janky?

Nope, you're not looking at a video running at 10 FPS. This is how
scrolling using a third-party mouse looks on macOS.

For reference, here's how scrolling with the same mouse looks on
Windows 10:

The first time I noticed this behaviour was a few years ago while
using a Logitech MX Master 2. At first, I thought this was just an
issue specific to that mouse, but after years of using third-party
mice, it's evident it's because of the OS.

I don't know why the default scrolling settings on macOS behave this
way. I suppose it's because the OS is optimized for the more
"digital" scrolling of the Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse... but it's
just a theory.

Anyway, the good news is that you can achieve a smooth scrolling
experience:

Unfortunately, you can't get there by tinkering with the macOS
settings alone. Third-party software is required to achieve a buttery
smooth scrolling experience.

I'm using SmoothScroll. It's a paid software (~9 EUR/y). I've been
using it for years, and it's always promptly updated on new releases
of macOS.

Other alternatives are:

  * MOS: A lightweight open-source tool used to smooth scrolling and
    set scroll direction independently for your mouse on macOS
  * SteerMouse: SteerMouse is a utility that lets you freely
    customize buttons, wheels, and cursor speed. This offers way more
    customization options than SmootScroll and MOS.
  * USB Overdrive: The USB Overdrive is a device driver for macOS
    that handles any USB or Bluetooth mouse, keyboard, trackball,
    joystick, gamepad, or gaming device from any manufacturer and
    lets you configure it either globally or on a per-application,
    per-device basis.

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