How to Control Volume with Mouse Wheel on Windows 11 & 10

On Windows, you can adjust the system volume using the Volume icon in the taskbar system tray or through your keyboard’s media controls (if available). But did you know there’s an even easier way? You can control the volume with your mouse wheel, allowing you to adjust the sound level on the fly. No need to find the specific icon on the taskbar or stumble through keys on your keyboard.

In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll show you two methods to set up and use your mouse wheel to control the system volume in Windows 10 and 11. Let’s get started.

Before You Begin

• You require administrator rights to install software to change volume using the mouse scroll wheel.
• The below steps are tested to work on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Control Volume with Mouse Wheel Using Volumouse

Volumouse is a free Windows software that lets you change the volume of the system or a specific application using the mouse wheel. Here’s how to install and use it.

1. Get Volumouse from here.
2. Right-click the downloaded zip file and select “Extract All“.
3. Click the “Extract” button.
4. Open the extracted folder.
5. Double-click the “volumouse.exe” file.
6. Select your audio device from the “Mixer Device” dropdown menu.
7. Select the “Load Volumouse at start” checkbox.
8. Click the “OK” button.
9. With that, you can now control the volume with the mouse wheel.
10. To do that, hold down the “Alt” key or left mouse button and scroll the mouse wheel to change the volume.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, head over to the official developer website and download the Volumouse zip file. Specifically, download the Volumouse x64 version.

After downloading, open the File Explorer and find the downloaded file. Usually, the downloaded file is in your “Downloads” folder. Next, right-click on it, and select the “Extract All” option.

Click the “Extract” button to extract the zip file to a new folder in the same directory.

Now, open the extracted folder and double-click the “volumouse.exe” file to open the Volumouse application.

By default, the application is configured optimally. However, if you have multiple audio output devices, make sure the one you want to control is selected in the “Mixer Device” dropdown menu.

Next, select the “Load Volumouse at start” checkbox.

Finally, click the “OK” button to save the changes.

That is it. From now on, whenever you want to change the volume, hold down the “Alt” key or the left mouse button and scroll.

Note: If you which to change the modifier buttons, use the “Use the wheel when” dropdown menu under the “Wheel Mouse Rules” section.

Customize Volumouse Options (Optional)

Volumouse is simple to set up and use. However, it also offers plenty of customization options to help you fine-tune its behavior. For example, you can create rules that only work in specific programs, set up custom key combinations, adjust the left/right audio balance, change the volume slider’s appearance, and more.

If there’s one customization I recommend, it’s tweaking how the volume indicator looks when you adjust the volume. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Volumouse and click the “More” button next to the Wheel Mouse Rule of your choice.
2. Under the “Indicator Options” section, select “Vertical TrackBar” or “Horizontal TrackBar” from the “Type” dropdown menu.
3. Click the “OK” button to save your changes.

Control Volume with Mouse Wheel Using AutoHotKey

Note: Before proceeding, make sure AutoHotKey is installed on your computer. If not, download it from here, and install it normally.

1. Press the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Search and open “Notepad“.
3. Paste the following code in it.
   #Requires AutoHotkey v2
Alt & WheelUp:: {
Send("{Volume_Up}")
}
Alt & WheelDown:: {
Send("{Volume_Down}")
}
4. Press the “Ctrl + Shift + S” shortcut.
5. Go to the where you want to save the file.
6. Enter “volume_control.ahk” in the “File name” field.
7. Select “All files” in the “File types” dropdown menu.
8. Click the “OK” button.
9. Open the File Explorer and find the saved file.
10. Double-click on the “volume_control.ahk” file.
11. From now on, hold down the “Alt” key and use the mouse wheel to change the volume.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open the Notepad application. You can do it by searching for “Notepad” in the Start menu.

Once it opens, paste the following code into it.

#Requires AutoHotkey v2
​
Alt & WheelUp:: {
    Send("{Volume_Up}")
}
​
Alt & WheelDown:: {
    Send("{Volume_Down}")
}

Next, press the “Ctrl + Shift + S” shortcut or select “File” > “Save as” option.

Go to a folder where you want to save the script, type “volume_control.ahk” in the “File name” field, select “All types” from the “File type” dropdown menu, and click “OK“.

After saving the script, find it in File Explorer and double-click on it.

As long as the script is running in the background, you can change the volume by holding down the “Alt” key on your keyboard and scrolling the mouse wheel.

To make sure you have the script running, add the AutoHotkey script to the system startup.

Wrapping Up — Changing Volume Using Mouse Wheel on Windows

In conclusion, you have two methods to control the volume using the mouse scroll wheel.

The Volumouse application not only lets you adjust the volume but also gives you plenty of options to tweak how it works. For example, you can change the default modifier key, assign multiple keys, set up profiles, pick specific audio output devices, and more. If you like customizing things to suit your needs, this method is perfect.

If you prefer a straightforward solution with just enough customization, like setting a specific modifier key, the AutoHotKey method is a great choice.

No matter which method you go with, you can make adjusting the volume with your mouse wheel super easy.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.