Scrolling Is Laggy on macOS Tahoe: How to Fix it

After upgrading to macOS Tahoe, some Mac users are finding that what used to feel "smooth" now feels… choppy. The built-in trackpad and even Magic Trackpad / Magic Mouse scrolling can suddenly become:

• Stuttery instead of smooth
• A little delayed, especially with two-finger scroll
• Fine again for a while after a restart… and then laggy all over again

Several MacBook Pro and iMac users running macOS Tahoe reported exactly this, often on Apple silicon models (M1, M2, M4). In this article, I’ll walk through what seems to be going on and the practical fixes that have helped real users.

I recently upgraded my MacBook to macOS Tahoe and since then the built-in and magic trackpad have been laggy when scrolling. The motion feels stuttery instead of smooth. Restarting my MacBook temporarily fixes the problem, but after some time the lag returns and I have to restart again, which is quite bothersome. In this article, I’ll share the solution that worked for me and others.

We previously covered how to fix sluggish performance issues on Mac running macOS Tahoe.

The issue:

• Scrolling is jittery on the trackpad (built-in and Magic Trackpad).
• For some, only Safari is affected; Edge and Firefox stay smooth.
• Others see lag system-wide and say it "feels like the whole system is lagging."
• Restarting the Mac fixes it temporarily, but the lag comes back after some time.

Fixes:

Before trying time consuming troubleshooting steps, make sure you’re running the latest Tahoe update:

• Go to System Settings > **General **> Software Update
• Install any macOS 26.x updates, if there available updates.
• Since Safari is part of macOS, it will also be updated.

Some users noted that after updating to Safari 26.0.1 and later Tahoe 26.1, their scrolling improved noticeably.

Many users discovered that the Bartender menu bar utility was the direct cause of the scrolling lag. Do this test, if you use Bartender (or similar menu bar tools):

• Click the Bartender icon in the menu bar and choose Quit, or open Bartender from Applications and quit it there.
• Test scrolling in Safari, Mail, Finder, etc. If that helps:
• Make sure you’re running the latest version of Bartender.
• If the newest version still causes issues, you may want to stop using it temporarily until the developer or Apple resolves the interaction.

:

Safe Mode is one of the most useful clues in this whole story. Several users reported:

• In Safe Mode, scrolling is smooth.
• In normal mode, it becomes laggy again.

That strongly hints at third-party software (drivers, login items, "helper" apps) as the trigger.

How to Start in Safe Mode

On Apple silicon (M1/M2/M4, etc.):

• Shut down your Mac completely.
• Press and hold the power buttonuntil you see Loading startup options.
• Click your startup disk (usually "_Macintosh HD.
• Hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.
• Log in. You’ll see "Safe Mode" in the menu bar.

On Intel Macs:

• Restart your Mac.
• Immediately press and hold the Shift key.
• Release Shift when you see the login window.
• Now test scrolling in Safari, Finder, Mail, and other apps.

If the lag disappears in Safe Mode: This almost confirms that third-party extensions, drivers, or login items are involved. If the lag is still there, this points more toward a deeper system or hardware issue. Either way, restart normally afterward (Apple Menu > Shut Down / Restart).

• Go to **System Settings **> Users & Groups.
• Create a new local user (_Standard _is fine).
• Log out from your main account and log into the new account.
• Test scrolling for a while in Safari, Chrome, Finder, etc.
• If the new account is smooth, then your original account likely has:
  • Problematic login items
  • Broken preferences
  • Old extensions or helper apps

Some people saw lag only in Safari, but not in Edge or Firefox. Others noticed strange behavior in Chrome or in specific apps like Lightroom.

If Safari feels laggy:

• Make sure Safari is up to date along with macOS.
• Disable extensions temporarily by going to:
• **Safari **> Settings > Extensions
• Turn all off, test, then re-enable one by one.

If Chrome feels laggy:

• One user reported fixing laggy scrolling in Chrome by toggling hardware acceleration:
• Open Chrome.
• Go to Settings > System.
• Turn off "Use hardware acceleration when available".
• Quit and relaunch Chrome.
• Test scrolling.
• (Optionally) Turn it back on and relaunch again to compare.

Check Login Items

1. Open System Settings > **General **> Login Items and Extensions.
2. Under Open at Login and Allowed in the Background, review the list.
3. Turn off anything you don’t really need all the time:
   • Old apps you no longer use
   • Helpers for devices you don’t even have connected
   • Aggressive cloud sync utilities
   • You can always turn them back on later if needed.