# Circular scrolling for trackpad (like iPod clickwheel) **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests\ **Tags:** scroll, scrolling, chiral, circular, trackpad\ **Created:** [March 30, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567 "2022-03-30T13:56:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emvaized](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/emvaized/32/34695_2.png) [@emvaized](https://community.folivora.ai/u/emvaized)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/1 "2022-03-30T13:56:58Z")
This undeservedly forgotten feature allows the user to start a gesture from any edge of touchpad, and then move finger in circle way across all the touchpad to scroll the document – something similar to the classic iPod's scroll. Here's a gif image illustrating this feature: ![trackpad_circular_scrolling-ezgif.com-optimize](https://community.folivora.ai/uploads/default/original/3X/5/d/5d672e5545b444cb3e22a719a128e778f5ad1f57.gif) And here's an old [video illustration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbmOnmm0AMc). This method has one huge advantage over repeatedly requested side edge scroll, which is – scroll is not limited by the physical size of the trackpad, which means the user could scroll continuously using only one finger. In modern systems, from what I've found, this feature is only implemented in [KDE Plasma](https://kde.org/plasma-desktop/) (Linux), and in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/windows/comments/mxb5mu/i_wrote_a_chiral_scroll_application_for_w10/) small utility for Windows 10. ---
**Author:** ![OTG](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@OTG](https://community.folivora.ai/u/OTG)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/2 "2023-04-30T07:08:57Z")
AWESOME ---
**Author:** ![hu\_hao](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/hu_hao/32/12640_2.png) [@hu\_hao](https://community.folivora.ai/u/hu_hao)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/3 "2023-09-19T17:49:57Z")
vote, really need this feature. ---
**Author:** ![btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/u/btt.smayer97)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 2:55am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/4 "2024-03-22T02:55:09Z")
YES PLEASE!!! Also called ChiralScrolling™ (by Synaptics Inc.) or spiral scrolling. Been around for nearly 2 decades. It is one feature I often look for when buying a new laptop. HP and Lenovo seem to be the most prominent users of this, but only on select models. Would be awesome to bring this to the Mac. Here is another video demoing it: [![](https://community.folivora.ai/uploads/default/original/3X/b/d/bd404591ca5b7c61e5af10b55ba8f1c299358b3b.jpeg "Chiral Scrolling") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUFxeZz7qvw) Even on Windows laptops, this seems to be disappearing BUT here are a couple of utils developed for Windows to implement this more universally: > **[ChiralScroll](https://sourceforge.net/projects/chiralscroll/)** > > Download ChiralScroll for free. None ---
**Author:** ![btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/u/btt.smayer97)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/5 "2024-03-22T02:56:26Z")
Yet another video demoing it: [TouchPad Gesture: ChiralScroll™ for vertical scrolling on Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/1933936) And another util developed for Windows to implement this more universally: > **[GitHub - okibcn/ChiralScroll](https://github.com/okibcn/chiralscroll)** > > Contribute to okibcn/ChiralScroll development by creating an account on GitHub. ---
**Author:** ![btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/u/btt.smayer97)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2024, 3:00am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/6 "2024-03-22T03:00:08Z")
BTW, can another Tag be created for Scrolling to add to this thread? (I'm new here so do not know what it takes to do this). ---
**Author:** ![emvaized](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/emvaized/32/34695_2.png) [@emvaized](https://community.folivora.ai/u/emvaized)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/7 "2024-10-30T20:35:58Z")
Thanks for supporting this idea! I really miss this feature every day. I added a "scrolling" tag now. And also a gif image which I think illustrates it better. ---
**Author:** ![louishino](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/louishino/32/35026_2.png) [@louishino](https://community.folivora.ai/u/louishino)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2024, 2:19am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/8 "2024-10-31T02:19:55Z")
The scrolling in circles can be very precise. This is really a revolutionary interaction. ---
**Author:** ![resort8572765](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@resort8572765](https://community.folivora.ai/u/resort8572765)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/9 "2025-01-25T23:51:33Z")
I made an account here just so I could comment on this thread. I have been searching high and low for _any_ utility that could bring chiral scrolling to the macOS. If BetterTouchTool had this feature, I would purchase it immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Kirby](https://community.folivora.ai/user_avatar/community.folivora.ai/kirby/32/35292_2.png) [@Kirby](https://community.folivora.ai/u/Kirby)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/10 "2025-01-26T02:17:08Z")
I just put together a set of rudimentary video tools for Lightroom Classic using BTT. I needed to be able to control the position of the playhead by frame. I ended up using Actions that move the play head, one frame forward or backward, and then for as long as I keep my finger on the trackpad move it another frame at a fixed interval. I found what worked best was, if I remember correctly, a delay of about half a second before the repetition started, and a delay of about ¼ second between each repetition. I added light haptic feedback for each jump of the playhead. I was happily surprised how well this worked for me — It’s as useful as a click wheel. I have Triggers with the same repetition for one second jumps as well. I suspect the exact same thing could be set up for scrolling. Click and release to scroll some fixed amount, then continue scrolling the same amount at a fixed interval until there is no finger touching the trackpad. No drawing circles required. This kind of control – send command, pause, and then send it again and again as long as a finger is touching the trackpad – was new to me. I think it has many uses. ---
**Author:** ![btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@btt.smayer97](https://community.folivora.ai/u/btt.smayer97)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2025, 2:40am UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/11 "2025-01-26T02:40:03Z")
That may work for you for your use case but it misses the value of chiral / spiral scrolling, which gives smooth forward and reverse scrolling at will without delays, pauses, stepwise movements, etc. ---
**Author:** ![rob-vandenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c89c15/32.png) [@rob-vandenberg](https://community.folivora.ai/u/rob-vandenberg)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://community.folivora.ai/t/circular-scrolling-for-trackpad-like-ipod-clickwheel/26567/12 "2026-03-06T21:59:49Z")
I know this is an old thread, but I found it searching in Google, so I thought I’d put this here, in case anyone else arrives here looking for the same. GyroScroll for Windows 10/11 allows circular scrolling if you have a touchpad that uses Microsoft Precision drivers (which most modern Windows laptops use). > **[GitHub - rob-vandenberg/GyroScroll: GyroScroll is a high-performance native Windows...](https://github.com/rob-vandenberg/GyroScroll)** > > GyroScroll is a high-performance native Windows 10/11 application that adds circular scrolling to touchpads using Microsoft Precision Touchpad drivers.