Unofficial archive. This is a read-only, community-run archive of the Apple Support Community. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.
pulot pulot1
User level: Level 1 (54 points)

OSX Apple Preview app: problem with scrolling with two fingers

OSX Apple Preview app: problem with scrolling with two fingers. On my Macbook Pro in Preview, the scrolling is buggy. Two finger scrolling will only advance to the next page, not move lower [or higher] within the same page.

In System Preferences, most trackpad settings are off, including Swipe between pages. Only Tap to Click is on.

Video attached. In the video, when you see a page ghost appear, that's when i move two fingers on the trackpad. If the cursor moves, that's one finger. So i cannot use a two finger scroll gesture to move the page up or down.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCUAbCTeb_o

Posted on Oct 9, 2026 1:57 PM

5 replies

Owl-53
User level: Level 10 (123,805 points)

Oct 10, 2026 2:53 AM in response to pulot pulot1

In Preview, select View >> Continuous Scroll, then test two-finger vertical scrolling. 


Apple identifies this as the standard way to scroll through a PDF. View PDFs in Preview.


If the problem persists, test another PDF in Preview and try scrolling in Safari. 


If scrolling works in Safari but not in Preview, quit and reopen Preview, then test again. 


Also check System Settings >> Accessibility >> Pointer Control >> Trackpad Options to confirm that scrolling is enabled.


Apple's guide to Mac trackpad gestures explains the difference between two-finger scrolling and swiping between pages.


Please let us know whether Continuous Scroll was already selected and whether the problem occurs in other apps.



Matti Haveri
User level: Level 7 (22,314 points)

Oct 9, 2026 11:08 PM in response to pulot pulot1

Switch to View > Continuous Scroll:

Owl-53
User level: Level 10 (123,805 points)

Oct 12, 2026 2:16 AM in response to pulot pulot1



This sounds like a possible bug in Preview in macOS 27 Golden Gate, rather than a trackpad settings problem. 


Other users have reported similar behaviour, where two-finger scrolling on a zoomed-in PDF jumps to the next or previous page instead of moving up or down within the current page.


Apple's Preview User Guide describes two-finger scrolling as the normal way to navigate PDFs.


I'd suggest checking System Settings >> General >> Software Update for any available macOS updates.


 If you are already up to date, you can report the issue through  the  Product Feedback - and make it known to Apple regarding this ongoing issue


In the meantime, using the vertical scroll bar should let you move around the zoomed-in page without jumping to another page.


I have not found confirmation that Apple has fixed this specific issue, so I can not  guarantee that an update will resolve it.

pulot pulot1 Author
User level: Level 1 (54 points)

Oct 12, 2026 2:01 AM in response to Owl-53

Thanks for the reply. Continuous scroll i know about, it's just not what i want to do, and Preview used to not have this problem. Scrolling in Safari works fine, normal. Trackpad options, scrolling has always been enabled. All the trackpad settings don't affect this problem. In fact they are all off, except for the one two finger scrolling setting, and it still happens.

I want to have one page showing, zoom in where i want, and move that page up and down to see the various parts of that one page. I could always do it before. Now suddenly not - any two finger movement loads the next page. Not how it should work, in my opinion, and so it needs some fix.

pulot pulot1 Author
User level: Level 1 (54 points)

Oct 12, 2026 1:58 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Yes, thanks, i do know of continuous scroll. It's an option, just not what i want, and Preview did not act like this in the past. I wonder why.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256373354