diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels.rs
index 003f2b2e78..13881c5bdc 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels.rs
@@ -1627,6 +1627,20 @@ fn navigator(app: &mut PhotocraftApp, ui: &mut egui::Ui) {
         app.ui.views[idx].center = [d.x.clamp(0.0, size.width as f32), d.y.clamp(0.0, size.height as f32)];
         app.ui.views[idx].fit_pending = false;
     }
+    // The Navigator has its own zoom target: an unmodified wheel over the preview
+    // should zoom even when the document canvas is configured to scroll on wheel.
+    // Use the canvas wheel classifier to honour one ×1.1 step per notch without
+    // applying egui's smoothed wheel tail a second time.
+    if resp.hovered()
+        && let Some(crate::wheel_nav::Wheel::Zoom(factor)) = crate::wheel_nav::read(&ctx, true)
+    {
+        let view = &mut app.ui.views[idx];
+        let next = crate::zoom_levels::clamp(view.zoom * factor, view.doc_size);
+        if next != view.zoom {
+            view.zoom = next;
+            view.fit_pending = false;
+        }
+    }
     // Visible-area rectangle.
     let v = app.ui.views[idx].clone();
     let canvas = app.last_canvas_rect;
@@ -1660,6 +1674,43 @@ fn navigator(app: &mut PhotocraftApp, ui: &mut egui::Ui) {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod navigator_wheel_tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use egui::{Event, Modifiers, MouseWheelUnit, RawInput, TouchPhase};
+
+    fn frame(app: &mut PhotocraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context, pointer: Pos2, wheel: f32) {
+        let mut events = vec![Event::PointerMoved(pointer)];
+        if wheel != 0.0 {
+            events.push(Event::MouseWheel { unit: MouseWheelUnit::Line, delta: vec2(0.0, wheel), phase: TouchPhase::Move, modifiers: Modifiers::NONE });
+        }
+        let mut out = ctx
+            .run_ui(RawInput { screen_rect: Some(Rect::from_min_size(Pos2::ZERO, vec2(430.0, 460.0))), events, ..Default::default() }, |ui| navigator(app, ui));
+        out.textures_delta.clear();
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn navigator_wheel_changes_zoom_only_when_over_preview() {
+        let mut app = PhotocraftApp::new(photocraft_engine::Session::new(), crate::Services::default());
+        app.run("file.new", json!({"width": 200, "height": 100})).unwrap();
+        app.sync_views();
+        app.ui.views[0].zoom = 1.0;
+        app.ui.views[0].fit_pending = false;
+        let ctx = egui::Context::default();
+        PhotocraftApp::setup_context(&ctx, crate::theme::ThemeKind::ALL[0]);
+        crate::wheel_nav::configure(&ctx);
+        frame(&mut app, &ctx, pos2(50.0, 55.0), 0.0);
+        let center = app.ui.views[0].center;
+        frame(&mut app, &ctx, pos2(50.0, 55.0), 1.0);
+        assert!((app.ui.views[0].zoom - 1.1).abs() < 1e-4, "one wheel notch zooms once");
+        assert_eq!(app.ui.views[0].center, center, "Navigator wheel must not pan");
+        frame(&mut app, &ctx, pos2(50.0, 55.0), -1.0);
+        assert!((app.ui.views[0].zoom - 1.0).abs() < 1e-4);
+        frame(&mut app, &ctx, pos2(50.0, 400.0), 1.0);
+        assert!((app.ui.views[0].zoom - 1.0).abs() < 1e-4, "wheel outside preview leaves zoom unchanged");
+    }
+}
+
 fn empty(ui: &mut egui::Ui, s: &str) {
     let t = Tokens::get(ui.ctx());
     ui.add_space(6.0);