scrollbar-gutter
The scrollbar-gutter CSS property reserves space for the scrollbar, preventing unwanted layout changes as the scrollbar appears and disappears.
Overview
The scrollbar-gutter CSS property reserves space for the scrollbar, preventing unwanted layout changes as the scrollbar appears and disappears.
Browser support
| Feature | Desktop | Mobile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Chrome Android | Safari iOS | |
| 94 | 94 | 97 | 18.2 | 94 | 18.2 | |
auto | 94 | 94 | 97 | 18.2 | 94 | 18.2 |
stable | 94 | 94 | 97 | 18.2 | 94 | 18.2 |
1+Supported (version) Not supported ※Has note Sub-feature descriptions sourced from MDN Web Docs (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Syntax
CSS
/* Always reserve space for the scrollbar */
.content {
overflow: auto;
scrollbar-gutter: stable;
}
/* Reserve space symmetrically on both sides */
.centered-content {
overflow: auto;
scrollbar-gutter: stable both-edges;
}Live demo
Use cases
Browser-native behavior
Use scrollbar-gutter to rely on the platform for behavior that would otherwise require extra code or CSS complexity.
Progressive enhancement
Enhance the experience where support exists while keeping a solid baseline elsewhere.
Cautions
- Check browser support and actual product need before adding a new platform feature widely.
- Keep feature usage understandable so future contributors know why it was chosen.
Accessibility
- New platform features should still preserve readable defaults and robust interaction patterns.
- Verify that enhancement paths do not leave unsupported environments with a broken experience.
Related links
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