scrollbar-width

Limited availability

This feature is not Baseline because it does not work in some of the most widely-used browsers.

The scrollbar-width property allows the author to set the desired thickness of an element's scrollbars when they are shown.

The purpose of the scrollbar-width is to optimize the space occupied by the scrollbar on a page or element; the purpose is not related to scrollbar aesthetics. The scrollbar-width predefined keyword values indicate to the user agent whether a normal or smaller scrollbar should be rendered. Avoid using none , as hiding a scrollbar negatively impacts accessibility .

Note: For elements that are scrollable only via programmatic means and not by direct user interaction, use the overflow property with a value of hidden rather than scrollbar-width: none .

Syntax

css

/* Keyword values */
scrollbar-width: auto;
scrollbar-width: thin;
scrollbar-width: none;
/* Global values */
scrollbar-width: inherit;
scrollbar-width: initial;
scrollbar-width: revert;
scrollbar-width: revert-layer;
scrollbar-width: unset;

Values

The default scrollbar width for the platform.

A thin scrollbar width variant on platforms that provide that option, or a thinner scrollbar than the default platform scrollbar width.

No scrollbar shown, however the element will still be scrollable.

Note: User Agents must apply any scrollbar-width value set on the root element to the viewport.

Accessibility

Use this property with caution — setting scrollbar-width to thin or none can make content hard or impossible to scroll if the author does not provide an alternative scrolling mechanism. While swiping gestures or mouse wheels can enable scrolling on such content, some devices have no scroll alternative.

WCAG criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard) has been in place for a long time to advise on basic keyboard accessibility, and this should include scrolling of content areas. And introduced in WCAG 2.1, criterion 2.5.5 (Target Size) advises that touch targets should be at least 44px in width and height (although the problem is compounded on high-resolution screens; thorough testing is advised).

MDN Understanding WCAG, Guideline 2.1 explanations

MDN Understanding WCAG, Guideline 2.5 explanations

Understanding Success Criterion 2.1.1 | W3C Understanding WCAG 2.1

Understanding Success Criterion 2.5.5 | W3C Understanding WCAG 2.1

Formal definition

Initial value	`auto`
Applies to	scrolling boxes
Inherited	no
Computed value	as specified
Animation type	by computed value type

Formal syntax

scrollbar-width = 
  auto  |
  thin  |
  none

Examples

Sizing overflow scrollbars

CSS

css

.scroller {
  width: 300px;
  height: 100px;
  overflow-y: scroll;
  scrollbar-width: thin;
html
<div class="scroller">
  Veggies es bonus vobis, proinde vos postulo essum magis kohlrabi welsh onion
  daikon amaranth tatsoi tomatillo melon azuki bean garlic. Gumbo beet greens
  corn soko endive gumbo gourd. Parsley shallot courgette tatsoi pea sprouts
  fava bean collard greens dandelion okra wakame tomato. Dandelion cucumber
  earthnut pea peanut soko zucchini.
Result
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/section&gt;&lt;h2 id="specifications"&gt;&lt;a href="#specifications"&gt;Specifications&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;table class="standard-table"&gt;&lt;thead&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;th scope="col"&gt;Specification&lt;/th&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/thead&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;a href="https://drafts.csswg.org/css-scrollbars/#scrollbar-width"&gt;CSS Scrollbars Styling Module Level 1&lt;!-- --&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;small&gt;# &lt;!-- --&gt;scrollbar-width&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;h2 id="browser_compatibility"&gt;&lt;a href="#browser_compatibility"&gt;Browser compatibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;BCD tables only load in the browser&lt;/p&gt;&lt;noscript&gt; &lt;!-- --&gt;with JavaScript enabled. Enable JavaScript to view data.&lt;/noscript&gt;&lt;section aria-labelledby="see_also"&gt;&lt;h2 id="see_also"&gt;&lt;a href="#see_also"&gt;See also&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;div class="section-content"&gt;&lt;ul&gt;