Google has worked with Microsoft to finally bring “Microsoft Fluent design”-based Scrollbars to Chrome browser on Windows. The Chrome browser now supports “Fluent Overlay Scrollbars”. Here is how you can enable the feature right now.
New Edge and Firefox have already received Windows 11-style scrollbars, and Chrome’s release is to get Fluent scrollbars soon.
Fluent scrollbars follow Fluent Design principles; they are dynamic in nature, and automatically adjust to window size changes.
Microsoft has been working to modernize Chromium Scrollbars (both overlay and non-overlay) to fit Windows 11 Fluent Design language for some time now.
While Windows 11 has adopted WinUI and Fluent controls, Chromium browsers such as Chrome still use the traditional scrollbar. Microsoft aims to update the Chrome scrollbar’s visual appearance along with some changes in how users interact with Overlay scrollbars.
The software giant aims to match Chromium scrollbars UI with Windows 11 Fluent Design. With the change, the default scrollbars become overlay scrollbars; they’re thinner and have insets and rounded edges.
Non-overlay scrollbars are restyled to match the Windows theme.
Today, Google added a flag to Chrome 117 Canary and sets its expiry to version 130. The flag, when enabled,” stylizes scrollbars with Microsoft Fluent design”.
Enable Fluent Scrollbars in Google Chrome
- Launch Chrome browser
- Visit chrome:flags
- Find and enable “Windows Fluent Scrollbars”
Windows Fluent scrollbars flag - Restart browser
After restarting, you will notice a new fluent scrollbar as you scroll with the mouse wheel in Chrome browser on pages. The scrolling with be smooth, and scrollbars will occupy less space.
You can always disable Fluent scrollbars in Chrome and revert to non-overlay scrollbars in Windows 11.
Disable Fluent Scrollbars in Chrome
On Windows 11,
- Open Settings
- Click on Accessibility > Visual effect
- Enable the “Always show scrollbars” setting.
What’s your take on this? Do you like Chrome’s default scrollbars or the new Fluent scrollbars? Let us know in the comments below.
Final words: After Microsoft Edge, Microsoft’s Fluent Scrollbars are making their way into Chrome browser on Windows. The Fluent Design Scrollbars can now be enabled in Chrome.
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