The current study investigates the effect of three different types of scanning strategies (0° rotation,67° rotation, and chessboard) and heat treatment on microhardness and wear properties of selective laser melted Inconel 718 samples. The wear response of the as-built specimens was strongly influenced by their hardness and the microstructural characteristics imparted by different scanning strategies. The chessboard scanning strategy demonstrated the highest microhardness and wear resistance (lowest COF ~0.53, wear volume ∼0.134 mm3), whereas the 0° rotation showed the least (highest COF ∼0.57, wear volume ∼0.184 mm3). wear resistance of 67° rotation (COF ∼0.55, reduced wear volume ∼0.163 mm3) lies between the 0° rotation and the chessboard scanning strategy. Adhesive wear dominated in the 0° rotation strategy, while abrasive wear was prevalent in the chessboard pattern; the 67° rotation showed mainly abrasive wear with reduced adhesive wear mechanism. Heat treatment improved the wear resistance of all samples by enhancing microhardness and promoting the transformation of columnar grains into equiaxed ones. After heat-treatment, the 0° rotation sample showed the highest COF ( ∼0.52) and wear volume (∼0.150 mm3). followed by the 67° rotation (∼0.50, ∼0.124 mm3), while the chessboard strategy showed the lowest COF (∼0.47) and wear volume (∼0.108 mm3). Heat-treated 67° rotation sample showed the highest improvement, with a 26.71% increase in hardness and a 29% gain in wear resistance.