Chrome Scroll Bar Missing? 10 Fixes That Work In 2026

The vertical scroll bar on the right side of your Chrome window has disappeared, and long pages look like they have no way down.

In most cases the scroll bar is hidden by a setting, an extension, or the page itself, and your scrolling still works.

This guide covers the fixes in order, and the first few take less than two minutes.

Quick answer: why the Chrome scroll bar is missing

Why does the Chrome scroll bar disappear?

Chrome draws its scroll bars using the settings of your operating system, so a system setting can hide them in every app at once.

Extensions and the graphics rendering path can also affect how a page draws, and some websites remove their scroll bar on purpose with their own styling.

Check whether the problem is in Chrome only, because that decides which fix to start with.

1. Always show scroll bars on Windows 11

Windows 11 can hide scroll bars until you move the mouse over them.

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility.
2. Select Visual effects.
3. Turn on Always show scrollbars.

Switch back to Chrome and reload the page to see the change.

2. Always show scroll bars on a Mac

On macOS Ventura and later, the setting sits in the Appearance settings.

1. Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
2. Click Appearance in the sidebar.
3. Under Show scroll bars, select Always.

On macOS Monterey and earlier, the same option is in the General pane of System Preferences.

3. Restart Chrome without losing tabs

Type chrome://restart in the address bar and press Enter.

Chrome closes and reopens with your tabs restored, which clears many temporary display glitches.

4. Find a problem extension

1. Click the three-dot menu at the top right of Chrome.
2. Choose Extensions, then Manage Extensions.
3. Turn extensions off one at a time and check the scroll bar after each one.

Once the scroll bar returns, remove or replace the last extension you turned off.

A quick test is to open an Incognito window, since extensions are off there unless you allowed them.

5. Update Chrome

Reports of missing Chrome scroll bars have been tied to older versions that Google fixed in later updates.

1. Click the three-dot More menu at the top right.
2. Go to Help, then About Google Chrome.
3. Click Relaunch if the button appears.

If there is no Relaunch button, Chrome is already up to date.

6. Turn off graphics acceleration

Graphics acceleration lets Chrome use your graphics hardware, and it can cause drawing glitches on some systems.

1. Type chrome://settings/system in the address bar.
2. Turn off the toggle named Use hardware acceleration when available.
3. Click Relaunch so the change takes effect.

The label may read a little differently in newer Chrome versions, so search settings for acceleration if you do not see that wording.

Turn it back on afterwards if it made no difference, because it normally helps performance.

7. Test with a new Chrome profile

A fresh profile has its own settings and extensions, so it shows whether the problem lives in your profile or in Chrome itself.

1. Click your profile icon at the top right of Chrome.
2. Choose the option to add a new profile.
3. Pick a name and open a long web page in the new window.

If the scroll bar appears there, the cause is something in your main profile, such as an extension or a setting, and the reset in the next step is worth trying.

If it is still missing, the cause is more likely your system setting, graphics, or the Chrome install.

8. Reset Chrome settings

1. Click the three-dot menu, then Settings.
2. Select Reset settings.
3. Choose Restore settings to their original defaults, then Reset settings.

Google says these changes apply to every device where you are signed in to Chrome, so treat this as a late step.

9. Is only one website missing the scroll bar?

If the scroll bar is missing on one site and shows on others, the page is the cause and not Chrome.

• The page is short: a page that fits in the window has no scroll bar.
• The site hides it: a site can hide or restyle its scroll bar with its own code, and only the site owner can change that.
• Keyboard scrolling: press the Down Arrow, Space or Page Down key to move the page without the bar.

Opening the same page in another browser shows quickly whether the site is the problem.

10. Reinstall Chrome

1. Uninstall Google Chrome. On Windows, press Windows + I, open Apps, then Installed apps.
2. Download a fresh installer from Google’s official Chrome page.
3. Install it and sign back in to restore bookmarks and settings.

Sign in sync restores bookmarks, so you should not lose them if sync was on.

Quick reference: which fix to try

Related TDG guides: Scrolling not working in Chrome, Restore a missing Chrome toolbar and Chrome out of memory error in Windows.

Google sources: reset Chrome settings, update Chrome and Chrome profiles.