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Participant
September 12, 2024
Question

Touchpad Scrolling Sensitivity and Zooming Issues in InDesign via Remote Desktop

  • September 12, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 3072 views

Hi,


I have to use Microsoft Remote Desktop for work and when I open InDesign (2024), the scrolling sensitivity using my touchpad is way too high. I see suggestions saying to go to "Page Display" under either File or View, but I do not have that option in either. I could not find it in Preferences either. 


My computer is a 2024 Macbook Air, and I believe I remote into a Windows Server 2019 Standard. Because I am so used to using my Mac, this small detail makes designing for my new job quite unpleasant. Does anyone know how to fix this?

 

On a similar note, I can no longer pinch the trackpad to zoom in or out, is this fixable, or is it only available on Mac?

 

 

<Title renamed by MOD>

2 replies

Known Participant
August 25, 2025

I'm using ID 2025 20.5 on a Mac M4 Pro, and the scrolling is unnatural and hard to control. It is not a matter of Mac settings, since they are working deliciously in all the other apps.

On all the other apps, scrolling ends with a smooth slowdown. In ID it ends with an annoying coarse stuttering.

In general, all the apps have the same predictable behavior. You push or pull the page, and you know in advance how much it will scroll. Not so with ID, where the document will end where it likes.

HARSHIKA_VERMA
Community Manager
Community Manager
August 26, 2025

Hi Paolo T,

 

We understand how frustrating it could be. Would you mind telling us if the touchpad sensitivity behavior is the same when using an external mouse instead? 

Additionally, if possible, could you share a short screen recording demonstrating the behavior you're experiencing? 

 

We will try our best to help.

 

Thanks,

Harshika

Known Participant
August 26, 2025

Thank you for you answer.

 

Mouse: I tried with an old Logitech (with two keys and one wheel), and I can't say how it compares, since the way of scrolling is very different from the Apple Magic Trackpad 2.

 

Comparison with other apps: I'm posting two videos. However, please keep in mind that they don't give the full idea of how stuttering the one is, and how smooth the other. Video framerate is probably not even fast enough to capture it.

 

This is InDesign CC 25.5:

InDesign 

 

And this is the Other App:

Other App 

 

Both in the best display mode (Preview, high quality).

 

Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Community Manager
September 12, 2024

Hi @Lynn32743871mpxt,

 

Thank you for reaching out! I can understand how frustrating it must be to deal with sensitive scrolling and the loss of pinch-to-zoom when working remotely. 

To help narrow down the issue, could you please confirm the exact version of InDesign it is 19.5 or not? 

Please try the below suggestions:

  1. Adjust Windows touchpad settings: Since InDesign’s settings don’t directly control touchpad sensitivity, you might want to adjust the touchpad sensitivity in Windows itself. You can access these settings by navigating to Settings > Devices > Touchpad on the remote Windows server.

  2. Zooming issue: Unfortunately, the pinch-to-zoom functionality is only available on Mac. When working remotely on Windows, the trackpad gestures from your Mac won’t carry over. However, you can use keyboard shortcuts like "Ctrl +" and "Ctrl -" to zoom in and out in InDesign on Windows.

Let me know if this helps or if you have any further questions! 

 

Thank you, 
Abhishek Rao

Participant
September 16, 2024

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. My InDesign is v19.5, the system isn't yet updated enough to allow 19.5. 

 

I can adjust the scrolling speed on my laptop if I find it truly unbearable, but it actually only affects my use of InDesign. Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as other apps like Google Chrome, scroll fine.

Participant
November 12, 2024

Hi @brunoczech,

 

Thanks for the update and for clarifying the issue.

Just to better understand the behavior, could you please confirm if this touchpad sensitivity issue happens with all your InDesign files or just a specific one? I tried reproducing this on my end, and it seems to be working fine here.

If possible, could you share the file where you’re experiencing this behavior so we can test it further? This will help us identify any specific elements or settings that might be contributing to the issue.

 

Looking forward to your response!

 

Thanks,  
Abhishek


Hi,

The issue is all the same with any INDD file. I cannot share it unfortunately as I am under strict NDA.

The file have very different sizes - the first one has over 60MB and about 10 spreads. The other for example has basically the same amount of pages but is much smaller, about 5MB.

 

The touchpad is way too sensitive. Let's say I am editing one object and want to inspect the one which is below on the page - but every slight movement on the touchpad takes me miles away from the object I am inspecting, sometimes even to another page. 

 

This needs to be fixed. If it is not intended behavior, of course.

 

D.