• The Problem: Unwanted Layout Shifts
• The Solution: scrollbar-gutter: stable
  • How to Use It
  • What Does This Do?
  • Browser Support
• Example Without scrollbar-gutter
• Example With scrollbar-gutter
• Conclusion

Preventing Scrollbar Layout Shifts with CSS

Have you ever been browsing a website and noticed an annoying layout shift when moving between pages? One moment everything is perfectly aligned, and the next, the content jumps slightly to the left or right as a scrollbar appears or disappears. This happens because some pages are short enough not to need a scrollbar, while longer pages trigger one, causing an unsightly shift in the layout.

#The Problem: Unwanted Layout Shifts

Let's say you have a simple website with two pages:

• Homepage (short, no scrollbar)
• Blog page (long, requires a scrollbar)

When you navigate from the homepage to the blog page, the sudden appearance of the scrollbar reduces the available width for the content, causing everything to shift slightly to the left. This is not only distracting but also creates a poor user experience.

#The Solution: scrollbar-gutter: stable

Fortunately, there's a simple CSS fix that prevents this behavior by reserving space for the scrollbar, even when it's not needed. The property scrollbar-gutter allows you to control whether the browser should leave space for the scrollbar.

#How to Use It

Add this CSS rule to your html element:

html {
    scrollbar-gutter: stable;
}

#What Does This Do?

• stable: This value ensures that space is always reserved for the scrollbar, whether it's visible or not.
• No more shifts: Since the space is reserved upfront, the layout remains consistent across all pages.

#Browser Support

The best part? This property is supported in all major browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.

#Example Without scrollbar-gutter

1. Short page (no scrollbar):
   • Content takes up the full width.
2. Long page (scrollbar appears):
   • Content width decreases to accommodate the scrollbar, causing a shift.

#Example With scrollbar-gutter

1. Short page:
   • Space for the scrollbar is reserved (but empty).
   • No shift occurs because the layout accounts for it.
2. Long page:
   • The scrollbar fills the pre-reserved space.
   • No layout shift happens.

#Conclusion

Adding scrollbar-gutter: stable is a simple yet effective way to prevent jarring layout shifts caused by scrollbars. It improves the user experience by ensuring consistency across different pages.

Try it out on your website and say goodbye to unexpected jumps in your layout!