A few times now, the Mighty Mouse on my Mac (the one with the tiny little scroll ball on it) has lost the ability to scroll down. It scrolls upwards, and horizontally, with no problem. Seemed like a software problem to me, and in the past, restarting the app I was using, or the whole Mac, seemed to fix the problem.
It started doing it again this morning, and this time, no amount of rebooting, unplugging/replugging, etc. would work. I figured it had to be a software (or maybe electronic) problem, since if it was just gunked up and dirty, I figured it would impair scrolling in all directions. Not just one.
Well, it turns out, when the Mighty Mouse scroll wheel gets dirty, it stops being able to scroll down. Apparently, it’s a common problem, as a quick Google search turned up tons of pages, like this one at MacOSXHints.com.
The fix? Blow compressed air around the scroll ball, or just push on it really hard and roll it around (that worked for me). If you’re lucky (I was), it will start working again. If it keeps doing it, though, I’m going to have Apple replace it.
What a weird problem. Design flaw? Who knows. I guess it would be better if it were easier to remove and clean the scroll ball. Apple’s official directions for cleaning it are “hold it upside down and roll it around”. Seriously. They even have a video to show you how to do it. 
You obviously have filthy, mucky fingers! . . . just like mine.
I’ve found the “roll it around furiously” trick to work quite well. A very slightly moistened cloth combined with the rolling can help to get the worst stuff out of that socket.
I can’t say I’m a fan of this mouse . . . I gave away the one I bought, and I’m about to replace the one that came with my iMac. Something from Kensington. Mmmm.
It’s turned out be be a pretty bad design. I’ve gone through two of them. I know other people who have the same problems. I say go with another mouse and do side-scrolling with the shift key.
Anyone know of a good replacement (estethically pleasing while retaining functionality?) Apple kinda dropped the ball with this one. I keep myself and my desk clean but a mouse that requires intensive cleaning every few days is annoying.
Oh my goodness, i’ve just tried that and hooray the scroll down thing works! Now now I can’t scroll up. I’m replacing this mouse.
Hey cheers, was having the same problem, hopefully they fix this problem soon
This little mouse clitoris needs a lot of stimulation - hope my wife doesn’t get jealous.
happened to me too, i just turned it up side down and rubbed it’s clit like apple said and it working fine now.
Blowing compressed air over the ball while holding it upside down and closing one eye worked for me =)
Hey, worked for me, too!
Had the same problem and this worked!
Great tip. Thanks… google brought me right here while looking for a fix for this annoying design flaw.
I tried all of the above but the only thing that worked was long gently rubbing with an alcohol soaked papertowel that really moistened the rollers and then eventually I saw some gunk come out. Then, I let it dry, and it’s good as new.
LOL, I can’t believe a little canned air was all it needed. TY!
That worked! I had already replaced 1 wired mightly mouse through Apple and was ready to go again, but I am back in biz. Thanks a bunch!
My Mighty mouse worked great for 6- 8 months then
the scroll ball only worked while scrolling down.
I tried to clean it using all the methods mentioned
nothing worked in frustration, I took it apart cleaned it thoroughly
reassembled it althought the bezel was cracked.
It still dosent work, This mouse sucks and I will never buy one again
and urge anyone thinking about it NOT TOO!
This post saved me some serious aggravation. I was in a no scroll up loop and was about to go crazy. Thanks!
Hi Guys,
A very interesting topic! I was so furious when my mouse stopped scrolling down! But after reading your posts guys, and laughing for a while from the posts, clits.. and things.. I had to hold the stupid mouse and blown a quick one on the side, and it worked!
I guess the mouse needs a re-charge from time to time
Thanks for the topic, it saved my time.
Cheers!
Thank you so much for this post!
I thought it was extremely strange that I could scroll up and side to side, but not down. At first assumed that it was a hardware problem with my mouse after rebooting the Mac didn’t solve the issue.
Luckily I had a second mouse laying around, which didn’t have the issue when I plugged it in.
Must have been a bad mouse…
Problem solved…or so I thought, until today ( 3 days after switching mice) when this mouse started to not scroll down!
Turning it upside down seemed to do the job!
Thank goodness for Google and for finding this discussion before I went bonkers. I love my mighty mouse, but it was being a Mighty PAIN tonight - I didn’t realize how addicted I am to the scroll features until it no longer let me scroll up! The hard pressed rolling worked like a charm. Ahhhhhhh…so happy. Thanks!
WOW! I was having the same problem, except I couldn’t scroll UP.
It was driving me crazy!!
I blew some compressed air on the scroll ball and it works fine now.
THANKS!!!
Yep… The hard rolling worked for me too….!!! Thanks for the tip….
since October 2005 I have had at least 6 replacements with the same problems, all except the last was replaced by the store. I have since have bought a Logetech at under half the price.
Thanks so much for al the tips …the only thing that worked for me was to blow compressed air around the scroll ball. The other tips worked earlier, but it must have really needed the compressed air clean.
I have lost all functionality of the scroll bar. those fixes used to work.
anyone know how to get it replaced?
Google FTW! Thanks for the help on this one. I love the interwebs.
lol, just wiped it of a lot and totally works, sweet
just rubbed it hard and blew on it…. lol yay it works
For several months now ~ I have just put up with no scroll ‘up’ ! BUT this post solved the prob. Apple website was of no help. Several hard strokes on the scrollball did it (with a damp screen cloth)! Thanks!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMPRESSED AIR TIP! It worked for me! I don’t think it was a design flaw, but a beginner’s accident. Remember that Apple had no scroll ball for over 30 years! Hopefully this fixes the issue. I was happy to find an optical mouse that didn’t need to be powered by batteries or cleaned, but this is sort of “cleaning.”
THANKS to this site and to Karl with the rubbing alcohol tip!! I was going insane not being able to scroll up! Using a little rubbing alcohol on the scroll ball was the only tip that worked for me.
Wow, brilliant!!!
I’ve had this annoying problem on and off for months now. I too thought it was software but pressing down hard and rolling that pesky little ball has worked.
Can’t thank you enough!!!!
BRILLIANT!! Great tip.
I don’t normally post on blogs and the like, and shamefully I’ll admit that I’ll go on blogs like this take the advice/info I need and not say thanks, but you sir have saved the day!
I just hope this no down scroll problem doesn’t re-occur too often as I won’t have the 5litre drum of Propanol to apply with cotton buds to the mouse’s ball when I leave my placement!
Thanks for all the advice again!
Two things:
I had the scroll ball set to show the “switch application” mode. I turned it off so I can press a little harder to get it to scroll, especially right after I used alchohol to clean the roller and before the liquid evaporated inside. It helps to be able to press a little harder without some other function popping up.
I’ve used these cleaning methods a lot. I got so pissed the other day that I threw the mouse across the room. I RARELY do that. EVER. I was surprised to find that the dumb thing didn’t break and still works–except for the scrolling issue.
this mouse has an obvious design flaw with a simple fix: all they have to do is provide a way to open the mouse enough to clean the ball. this is not rocket science we’re talking about here.
Thanks for this tip, this has been drying me crazy, happens every now and then to me and this time I couldn’t get it to work until I tried you just press really hard trick. Thanks.
a thousand thanks! i tried the blowing, the rubbing, the upside down moves… nothing but rubbing alcohol and a good scrub worked for me in the end. i would switch, but it just doesn’t look right without a mac mouse to go with my imac.
Thanks to all that posted. I too thought there was a problem with hardware or software. For the past 6 months I have just learned to deal with not being able to scroll up. I finally refined my google search to “mac scroll wheel won’t scroll up” and Wa La! Problem solved. I had to hold upside down and press hard to free the obstruction. Has anyone thought of sending Apple this blog. As to the design of this mouse, I love the scroll wheel and the right mouse button feature. Side buttons suck and so does the fact you can’t open the darn thing to do a cleaning. This is the first mouse in 25 years I have never been able to get opened to clean. Thanks to all. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to resort to one of the solutions again in the near future, sorry to say.
Thank you so much, awesome tip. You saved yet another brutal mighty mouse beating from happening.
my kids use my mac! This thing wont stay clean!
Thank’s it was making me soooo mad!!
LOL…
I was freaking out all day till I saw this.
I’m not a regular Mac user (mostly cuz o the lack of gaming content and the fact that I don’t have Photoshop or ACDSEE for Mac)so I don’t know alot about them (except that they’re uber-resistant to my mortal enemy, the viruses) but with my PC on the fritz I’ve been using my Mac every day for 2 weeks now.
Musta made the lil wheel-ball filthy.
Thx 4 the advice.
EASY FIX:
I just had this problem a few minute (mouse would not scroll down). A quick search on google found a page suggesting the following (which worked great for me):
Turn the mouse upside down on a piece of paper. Press down firmly and roll the mouse back and forth. This will cause the ball to roll against the paper, dislodging the dirt. Worked great, and took less than 5 seconds!
Thanks GUYS!, I fired up my 8 Horse Power Compressor and blow the balls of
my mighty mouse!, Works just like NEW! :~) still love my mac…
I had the same problem — my Mighty Mouse wouldn’t scroll down. After great frustration, I googled the problem and landed on this delightful dialogue. Nothing like good advice and great humor all in one place. Thanks for fixing my problem and keeping me laughing. What I can’t believe is that this topic has been going on for almost a year! Apple really should pick up on this.
Viola! Look at that. I thought I was taking crazy pills. It turns out my Mighty Mouse had been taking the liberties of cleaning my pointer finger. Dirty mouse. Dirty, dirty, mouse. Well, problem solved. Scroll up? Check. Scroll down? Check. Scroll down to submit and submit this form? Checkity-check.
WOW! Easy fix. I just blew hard into the little scroll ball and then pressed the ball hard and moved it around. This 5 second fix worked the first time!
I used a Rad Tech mouse for a bit with my laptop but I have problems with my hands and it took too much repetitive finger pressure and I was getting really sore. I bought the mighty mouse for my macbook and I have no more soreness. It’s friendly to those of us with repetitive stress problems. I agree about the side buttons. I, too, found this discussion via google when the mouse suddenly stopping scrolling. Fixed it immediately. Thanks.
thanks the bit about holding it upside down, and rolling it worked for me,
the pushing down didnt i just kept getting the dashboard
Thanks for the tip! From now on I’ll do as Lauren Bacall, ” just pucker up and BLOW”
Hey! thanks for the tip! My mouse was driving me INSANE! I couldn’t scroll down! Now it’s fixed and I can get back to playing WoW… LOL! I’m so glad I found this!
LOL - my friggin dog…. it works.
mine didn’t scroll up but the compress air did the trick…
thanks - keep on blowing….
Thanks. This thing was driving me crazy.
What the crap? Worked for me too. If only I could get my PC to work by rubbing it. Yeah right. Where’s my magic lamp?
i just did what you said apple had said to do, turned it upside down and rolled it around…and it actually worked. so i don’t know. it was really stupid of me cause i was restarting my computer, thinking it was some bull shit. thanks though. i would have gone out of my mind. apple’s website truly sucks in the support department.
I love the scrollball and I had a feeling it would be a pain to clean before I bought it. I thought Apple would make an easy way to clean it. NOPE. I just took some Goo Gone on a tissue and rubbed it vigorously and the scrolling started immediately again. It also has a nice orange smell. Mmmmmm, who would have guessed? Apples and Oranges!
Unless they make a better one or one that is easier to clean in “real world” situations, I’ll never buy another. But as long as this cleaning method keeps working, I won’t complain either.
My I had a lesbian friend to lick but it didint work, I will try a hummer latter.
SOMEONE ON A OTHER SIGHT TOLD TO USE A PEACE OF PAPER TO CLEAN AND WORKED GREAT.
Glad Google brought me to this site. Like yours mine would not scroll down. No amount of rubbing seemed to work, then I tried cleaning it with a damp cloth, and bingo. All working now.
Thank
Ben
Thanks to everyone for their useful tips. I used a little of lens cleaner and lint free paper to clean the “belly button” of the mouse.
That crazy fix… so simple. Kinds of silly thought I would have to a get a new mouse.
Cheers
Got a new one earlier, tried the fixes on both… working fine again !
This needs to get out. You get these with new macs as standard now…
Tried the rolling on paper upside down trick, got back my up scroll but still dodgy down scoll, so scraped around the inside edge of where the ball sits with a needle, got some gunk out and I’m good as new, to think I’d been putting upi with it for 5 months
Thank you!!! I was about to give up when I saw your blog. I rolled the mouse upside down on the piece of paper. That seemed to do it. Just for good luck, I did blow on it and use an alcohol prep pad. Thanks again for all the tips!!!
try the “lesbian trick” and lick the mouses “clit”
it works very well - lick it and move around on an microfibre.
i tried all the other things before and they all worked only for a short time.
the mouse is obviouly satiesfied and works as a new one
Thanks! I mostly only use the scroll up when on the net and I was thinking that some websites were not programmed to work with my Mighty Mouse, because sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. It drives my husband crazy because he presses the ball really hard and then the dashboard comes up and he gets mad! Finally today I thought I would test the scroll up in MacMail and Appleworks and it didn’t work there either. So I knew it was the mouse. I was contemplating digging out receipts and going back to the store when I decided to just Google it! And here we are … I actually took a little piece of paper folded and ran it around the ball and a bunch of junk came out. Now I can consistently scroll up again! Yay! Can’t wait for Hubby to try it.
this thread could go on forever … thanks from me too … google brought me here … mouse works again
oh my God ! cleaning with fury worked! Im so happy im going to donate google
Thank youuu… appears that my mouse was just in the need of a little stimulation. Or rather, she likes it rough.
Wow, it worked great. It was driving me nutty. Thanks!
Duster worked then i huffed it. Nice! Success!
My mouse was not scrolling up. Wet a paper towel and gently cleaned the top of the mouse and the trackball. Then took the duster and blew on it for a couple of seconds. Fixed!
so this works for me.
http://www.radioshack.com/sm-precision-electronics-cleaner–pi-2102649.html
this item is readily available, cleans specifically electronics, has a brush built on it, and is cheap!
very nice.
Wow. It’s astounding how many other people have had the same problem. Anyway, pressing down really hard and rolling the ball around did the trick. Just hope I don’t have to do it often.
Otherwise, I’ll be looking online for a new mouse :<
Thanks so much! I thought I was losing my mind. Wierd little mac mouse.
Thank much! Holding the mouse upside down and rolling the scroll wheel fixed the problem!
This is what fixed it for me: Take the mouse in your hand, and roll the scroll wheel a few times with a clean Qtip.
just adding my name o list of thankful people
worked perfectly..
I guess this means we all have really dirty hands? Thanks, the combination of pushing hard, air AND holding upside down worked.
I just turned my mouse upside down on a piece of paper and by golly it works now!!!! Yahoo!
yeah, mine wouldn’t scroll up. THANK YOU! It’s amazing, I can barely function when something like that happens.
wow, thanks for posting this, I can’t believe it was that simple of a fix! I just smushed it in real hard and scrolled down..and now it works.
that’s insane.
thanks
mike
Leave it to Apple, to sacrifice functionality for aesthetics. Apparently I’m not alone
Thanks guys. I will forever refer to the little grey scroll bar as a clitoris. 
Thank you for this posting- I tried the paper trick, the hard rub and the alcohol at different times - all have worked, separately. Very helpful everyone !
Rolling around the scroll ball, while positioning the mouse upside-down, worked for me. Thanks!
I tried a few things with no luck except for the compressed air, none were working. This tip from someone above is the simplest and totally effective:
“Turn the mouse upside down on a piece of paper. Press down firmly and roll the mouse back and forth. This will cause the ball to roll against the paper, dislodging the dirt. Worked great, and took less than 5 seconds!”
Another thanks here - it was driving me batty. Gave it a damn good going over with an alcohol wip. Now I’ll forever feel a bit odd using it as I’ll not get it’s new name out of my head
Simple but effective tweakage.
Ha!.. this thread was started in 2006… and here i am in 2008 finding the cure to mouse cancer… brilliant and hilarious.
THANK YOU! This was driving me absolutely crazy! It happened the first time when the new Mac was a couple weeks old, so I stole the Mighty Mouse off my old Mac. Well, yesterday the “purloined mouse” stopped scrolling too. Pressing and rolling worked for me to fix it, and I am back in business! Long spreadsheets no longer intimidate me!
Here I was just this evening having the scroll problem, blaming it on my 22 month old. She’ll understand one day. Thanks for this post. I’m now back to scrolling down.
i hate the might mouse
I know this is an old article but just bought my first Mac a few weeks ago and my Mighty Mouse just started the same problems today. Rebooting didn’t work so as I don’t have compressed air around at the moment, I pushed down hard and rolled it around. It seems to be working perfect. Thanks for the tip.
HOORAY, it worked!!! I scrolled all the way down to the bottom (after reading the article) to type this post!!!
YOU SAVIOUR. lol, my wireless mighty mouse was only sccrolling up and i wanted to zoom in not knowing that it won’t zoom back and i zoomed in and i tryed zooming out and it was stuck, so i had to do all this to fix it , and the rolling aroung vigurously helped alot. Thanks so much
I had a small bottle of cassette tape head cleaner that I was going to throw away. Lucky I’m useless at getting rid of stuff because it is the perfect solution.
Applied one tiny drop to the ball and I’m now scrolling like a mad thing.
Annoying fault though, isn’t it?
Thanks a lot man, I just rolled my apple mighty mouse upside down and it worked right away!! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the tips - I was on my way to check in at the insane asylum….
Does anyone have a recommendation on a 3rd party mouse that can cater for the mac functions i.e. dashboard and expose (all windows view)?
Cheers!
Wow, to think such a simple fix could be so effective! Was about to go crazy without my scroll down, but Google brought me straight here and rolling it upside down worked a treat
Just had to celebrate by scrolling down to the submit box and saying a big Thank You!!
loved that clit joke!! was laughing for ages
but still i went into a apple next byte store and was told to buy a micro fiber cloth and some water
so i bought a cloth, was $35 tried to clean the ball only to find the mouse wouldn’t scroll in any direction.
then i found you… as far as im concerned your my new god
Great tips. The alcohol - already a good friend of mine - did the trick. Still it’s a pretty silly design flaw. Guess they traded in functionality for looks here.
Thanks for the tip, it worked for me also! I was almost out of ideas when I Googled it.
Thanks!
I find that a quick rub with one of these:
http://www.shaklee.net/joedisch/product/00302
usually gets it going again when blowing on it won’t do the trick.
Awesome tips! Worked like a charm!
After rubbing with isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel, I turned mine upside down and rubbed it around ferociously on a clean sheet of normal paper. I could see all the gunk and fluff come right out onto the paper. It is such a relief to be able to scroll down again! Im thinking maybe we should get in the habit of cleaning our hands with the alcohol prior to using the mouse as well! Though i dont see that becoming a habit.
Maybe all the Apple Mighty Mouse owners that can’t scroll up could team up with those that can’t scroll down and we could work together to surf the web?
Thanks for the tip. I had replaced batteries, checked mouse settings, etc. All I had to do was blow. Who knew?
Back in business with Apple’s Not-So-Mighty Mouse
Thanks for all the tips and hints. I’ve only had this mouse for a month and I’m already having problems….and I’m not a filthy person!
I’m going to try using hand sanitizer and maybe switch out my mousepad as well.
Yaaay! Was getting frustrated with this (less than one month old) mouse….. Google sent me here and I now have a working scrollball again! Annoying though….. a but of dust on my finger causes this??¿¿¿???
just use any piece of cloth and rub the wheel. I think its not only dust but sweat as well might be the reason. My hands get a bit moist after four five hours of using a mouse. So i have a piece of cloth handy just in case.
On a related topic….my Mighty Mouse seems to have a mind of it’s own. While using Photoshop sometimes the cursor, especially a selection tool, just veers off cross the screen all by itself. To get back to my starting point I have to delete all the subsequent selection point anchors. It’s very frustrating.
I have cleaned the scroll wheel as previously suggested.
Any ideas?
Mary