Microsoft brings Windows 11's Fluent scrollbar to Google Chrome

Therefore, with Windows 11 already out and well received, Chrome's interface will also be refined to be more consistent and seamless with the new operating system's Fluent design language.

Unlike Windows 10, the page scroll bar on Windows 11 also has a Fluent-style design, making it fresh and more modern. Called Fluent Scrollbars, these Fluent scrollbars have a distinctive feature of mutability, meaning they can change shape when the user interacts, as well as automatically scale on the elements. different form factor or when you change the size of the window. This scrollbar is currently used on apps like Settings, Media Player etc

Google Chrome may soon be equipped with Fluent Scrollbars, according to a new proposal from Microsoft. Specifically, Microsoft says it wants to modernize the old scrollbars in Chrome to give Google's browser a user interface that's more in line with the design standards of Windows 11.

In other words, Microsoft's main aim is to modernize the scrollbars of Chromium-based browsers (not just Google) to match the Fluent design language of Windows 11. In addition, the Redmond company also We're looking at some visually appealing changes, related to how users interact with scrollbars in Chrome with different modes:

Minimal mode: This will be the default design for the scrollbar.

Full mode: Scroll bar in full mode is when the cursor is placed above the scrollbar area.

Stealth mode: This is a new feature in which the scrollbars will completely disappear to maximize the appearance of the page.

To better illustrate the difference, here's a comparison between the new scroll bars available in Microsoft Edge and the classic scroll bars in Chrome:

Microsoft also notes that 'hidden mode' can be bypassed with Windows 11's native solution of "Always ON scrollbars". Like macOS, 'Always show scrollbars' can be set up from Settings -> Accessibility -> Visual effects. The new scroll bars will adhere to the original settings.

This change is currently being considered for Chromium-based web browsers as early as 2022. Microsoft also plans to refactor the overlayless scrollbars to modernize Chrome on Windows 11.

Kareem Winters

Update 30 March 2022