Microsoft believes the current default Chromium Scrollbars still use the traditional win32 scrollbars while Windows OS has been received WinUI and native fluent controls. The company is now proposing default scrollbars should be updated with a Fluent design and be like overlay scrollbars always thinner, have insets and rounded edges.
Highlights:
- Microsoft to update Chromium Scrollbars on Windows 11/10 with fluent design
- Users will still have the option to select “non-overlay scrollbars” via the ” Always Shows scrollbars” Windows OS setting.
- Microsoft will restyle the non-overlay scrollbar to match the Windows theme.
- The company thinks Fluent Scrollbars can be made available on Linux also.
- The change is expected to impact Page layout.
Fluent Scrollbar Visual Spec
According to Spec designed by Microsoft, scrollbars exits in 3 modes: Minimal, full, and hidden.
- Minimal mode (aka overlay scrollbars) is the default state when just the scrollbar thumb is drawn.
While Chromium default scrollbars may take up layout space 17PX. The new toolbars will not take any layout space in minimal mode.
- The scrollbar is in full mode when scrollbar parts (thumb, track, buttons, and button glyphs) are drawn. This happens when the pointer is directly over the scrollbar area.
- Hidden mode: This is when scrollbars fade out completely when the pointer moves outside a non-root ScrollNodes bounds
Overlay Scrollbars already exists on macOS. The OS has “Always show scrollbars” mode.
As mentioned in the Outset, Windows has a setting to control the visibility of scrollbars.
Windows 11/10 Users need to visit Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects, Toggle “Always show scrollbars” to enable or disable them.
The company plans to make new scrollbars aware of the setting mentioned above.
Summary: Fluent Scrollabrs feature aims to “modernize the Chromium Scrollbars (both overlay and non-overlay) to fit Windows 11 fluent design language. This includes updates to visual appearance along with some changes how users interact with overlay scrollbars”.
Microsoft has contributed so much to the Chromium project for the new Microsoft Edge, this will be a useful addition for sure.
What’re your take on Chrome and Edge and other Chromium browser scrollbars getting updated with Fluent design, let us know your opinion in the comments below.
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