IT House March 25 news, according to Windows Latest reported that unlike Windows 10, Windows 11 has a new, modern "Fluent smooth scroll bar", when users interact with it, its shape changes. The smooth scrollbars are dynamic, they are automatically scaled on different form factors or when the size of the window is changed, and it is currently used in applications such as settings, media players, etc.
According to a new proposal from Microsoft, google chrome browser may soon have smooth scrollbar features. In a proposal, Microsoft said it wanted to modernize the old scrollbar in the Chrome browser to align Google Chrome with the Windows 11 design standard.
The proposal aims to modernize Chromium's scrollbars, both overlays and non-overlays, to accommodate Windows 11's fluid design language. In addition, Microsoft is also considering some visual changes to the way users interact with the scroll bars in the Chrome browser, using different modes.
Minimalist mode: This will be the default design for the scrollbar.
Full Mode: Full mode scrollbar is when the cursor is on the scrollbar area, all parts such as thumbs or buttons will be drawn.
Stealth mode: This is a new feature where the scroll bar will fade out completely and the exact location on the page may not be found. Google has expressed concern about hidden mode, and Microsoft is actively exploring a better way to deal with visual improvements.
To better understand these differences, here's a comparison of the new scrollbars in Microsoft Edge and the classic scrollbars in Chrome.
▲ Scrollbars for Chrome and Edge
Other features / changes:
The root-covered scroll bar will always exist in minimal mode.
When the pointer is directly on the track, the scroll bar transitions to full mode.
At startup, all scroll bars are drawn, the root scroll bar is still visible (in minimal mode), and the rest fades out.
When the pointer enters a non-root scroll node, the scroll bar draws in minimal mode.
When the pointer leaves the boundary of the node, the scroll bar of minimal mode fades out.
Text matching via Ctrl+F causes the scroll bar to immediately draw in full mode and a check mark appears on the track at the matching position.
Microsoft also noted that "hidden mode" can be bypassed through Windows 11's native solution", "Always open scroll bar". As with macOS, you can "always show scroll bars" from Settings-> Accessibility-> Visuals. The new scroll bar will be aware of the local settings.
"When the feature is enabled, the scroll bar is drawn in full mode. At this operating system setup, scrollbars will take up layout space," Microsoft noted.
As the screenshot above shows, Microsoft's proposed scroll bar will behave more like an overlay scroll bar. They will be thinner, with inlays and rounded edges. If Google developers reject the overlay scroll bar, Microsoft also plans to redesign the non-overlay scroll bar to modernize the Chrome browser on Windows 11.
Since January 2022, Microsoft has been considering providing this feature for Chromium-based web browsers.
Back in 2021, a developer at Microsoft confirmed that the company intends to bring some of Edge's design improvements to the Chromium open source project as well.