How to position a div scrollbar on the left hand side?

html

responsive-design

css

web-development

byAnton Shumikhin·Oct 10, 2024

Quickly swap your scrollbar from right to left in a div using CSS:

.scrollbar-left {
  /* Say "Marhaba" to our right-left friend */
  direction: rtl; 
  overflow-y: scroll;
}

.scrollbar-left > * {
  /* Flip, flop, fly the content back to normal */
  direction: ltr;
}

Attach class to your div:

<div class="scrollbar-left">
  <div>
    /* The "real" content goes here, dressed to go left */
    Text or content goes here...
  </div>
</div>

This snippet creates a left-positioned scrollbar by altering text direction and then restoring it within the div.

Maintaining content readability in King Solomon's minefield

The "Fast Answer" puts the scrollbar to the left but also makes your content look like you're in a mirror room. No worries! Setting direction: ltr; for the child elements will keep your text flow as normal as your favorite cup of tea.

Making an all-terrain vehicle out of your code

Up the hill with different browsers

It's easy to make a solution work on your home ground. Achieving the same effect on every web browser on Planet Earth, that's the Mount Everest of web development. This includes the likes of Safari, Chrome, IE, Firefox and Edge. Especially older versions might treat direction like a misunderstood teenager.

Dynamically shifting gears

If you're dealing with dynamic content, JS or jQuery will be your favorite pit-stop tools, applying direction every time your content changes tires.

Overflowing with the right crowd

Life deals you lemons but direction: rtl; might give you unwanted horizontal scrolling. Just when you thought you had it figured out! A swift overflow-x: hidden!important; will dismiss the uninvited guest from the party.

Code, meet wand: Advanced CSS magic

Mirror, mirror on the wall

You can use CSS transforms to mirror the direction of your scrollbar. Mirror code, I summon thee:

.mirror-scrollbar {
  /* Let's do the Time Warp again! */
  transform: scaleX(-1);
}

.mirror-scrollbar > * {
  /* Mirror mirror, who's the fairest of them all? */
  transform: scaleX(-1);
}

This technique flips everything horizontally, effectively moving the scrollbar to the left side. Then we flip the content (child div) back to keep it readable.

Minding the line

When we conjure text direction changes, it can offset alignment. Don’t forget to update text-align: left; accordingly. Moreover, handling text-direction with unicode-bidi: bidi-override; avoids any unintentional text direction flipping outbreaks.

Scrollbar user experience

While changing the scrollbar position can be visually interesting, it might temporarily disorient users. It's an unconventional practice, so use this power responsibly!

Responsiveness: Morph for every screen

In our responsive web era, ensure your left-ish scrollbar behaves properly on different screen sizes, or reconsider its positioning for smaller devices to maintain good karma with usability gods.

explain-codes / Html / How to position a div scrollbar on the left hand side?

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Prevent scroll-bar from adding-up to the Width of page on Chrome

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Overflow to left instead of right

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How to prevent scrollbar from repositioning web page?

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Keep overflow div scrolled to bottom unless user scrolls up

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