Here is yet another adaptation of the other answers, HOWEVER:
This is the only solution that will allow you to use a key combo from anywhere to immediately reverse scrolling on Mac OS Ventura, without installing any outside applications.
The trick is to create a "Reverse Scrolling" application yourself using Automator, and then use Automator again to create a Quick Action / Service that launches the app when you press the key combo. You need to do this in order to get around permissions issues with AppleScript.
Do not mess around with defaults write. It will not work.
This solution is tested and confirmed on:
- Mac OS Ventura v13.2
- Mac OS Monterey v12.4
The steps below refer to the System Settings app. Prior to Mac OS Ventura, this was called System Preferences.
- Launch Automator.
- Use
Command-N or File > New to create a new document.
- Choose
Application as the document type.
- Add a
Run AppleScript action to the workflow.
- Enter one of the AppleScripts at the bottom of this answer (see notes). Don't worry if running it at this point gives you permissions errors.
- Use
Command-S or File > Save As... to save as "Reverse Scrolling" with File Format Application in your Applications directory.
- Close the Automator document.
- Under
System Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility, add the Reverse Scrolling app (remember, it's in your Applications folder) in the pane that says Allow the apps below to control your computer.
- Go back to Automator and create a new document.
- This time, choose
Quick Action as the document type. This will allow you to add the action to the Services submenu in every application.
- Configure the workflow so that it requires no input. The top of the document edit pane should say
Workflow receives no input in any application.
- Add a
Launch Application action to the workflow.
- In the application chooser dropdown, select
Other....
- In the finder window that pops up, navigate to your Applications directory and choose the Reverse Scrolling app.
- Use
Command-S or File > Save As... to save as "Reverse Scrolling". It's fine to use the same name as before.
- Under
System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services, click Reverse Scrolling (under the General subsection in the right checkbox pane) and Add Shortcut.
- Press the key combination you want to use. Note that you'll have to avoid collisions with any other key combination, so choose carefully.
If you follow all these instructions correctly, you should now have a Reverse Scrolling menu item under the Services menu of every application, with your key combo listed next to it.
Test it out by scrolling, observing the scroll direction, pressing the key combo, and repeating the scroll test. Scrolling should have reversed, without any error popups or system requests for permissions.
If anything other than perfect scroll reversal occurs, one of two things has occurred—either you've missed a step, or these instructions have gone out of date.
If you want to undo any of the changes you've wrought, here's how:
- To get rid of the keyboard shortcut, go back to
System Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services and uncheck the box next to Reverse Scrolling.
- To get rid of the Service completely, delete the directory
Library/Services/"Reverse Scrolling.workflow" (relative to your home directory).
- To rescind permissions for the app, go back to
System Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility and remove Reverse Scrolling from the list of apps there.
- To get rid of the app completely, delete it from your Applications directory.
Here are two AppleScripts that I've successfully used to reverse scrolling, provided all permissions are in place. These scripts are incredibly fickle and prone to break between versions of Mac OS. By the time you find this answer, you've probably seen several versions of a script that purports to reverse scrolling (though all of them are plagued with permissions errors, unless you carefully follow the steps I've laid out above). If the one for your OS version stops working, and no one has got around to updating this answer, find a different script, but use the rest of the steps above.
Ventura
Works almost every time.
on run {input, parameters}
do shell script "open x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.Trackpad-Settings.extension"
delay 1.0
tell application "System Events"
tell process "System Settings"
click radio button 2 of tab group 1 of group 1 of group 2 of splitter group 1 of group 1 of window 1
click checkbox "Natural scrolling" of group 1 of scroll area 1 of group 1 of group 2 of splitter group 1 of group 1 of window 1
tell application "System Settings" to quit
end tell
end tell
return input
end run
Monterey
Works every time.
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "System Preferences"
reveal anchor "trackpadTab" of pane id "com.apple.preference.trackpad"
end tell
tell application "System Events" to tell process "System Preferences"
click checkbox 1 of tab group 1 of window 0
end tell
quit application "System Preferences"
return input
end run
Important Final Note
If you ever go back to Automator and edit the Reverse Scrolling app to change the AppleScript, the app will lose the permissions you gave it in step 8 above. You will have to go back to the preference pane from step 8 and fully remove the Reverse Scrolling app (using the – button) and add it again.
