How to implement CSS scroll-padding for better in-page navigation?
Aug 03, 2025 pm 12:45 PMUse scroll-padding to solve the problem of fixing the head occluding anchor points and improve the in-page navigation experience. 1. Apply scroll-padding-top to the html element, with the value equal to the fixed head height, such as html { scroll-padding-top: 80px; }; 2. Ensure that the scroll container is the root element, and html is usually the scroll container in modern browsers; 3. Adjust according to different devices, set a smaller padding value on the mobile side through media query; 4. Use responsive units such as rem, em or vh to adapt to different screens; 5. Avoid directly adding padding to the anchor element to avoid affecting the layout. This method is a pure CSS solution, compatible with modern mainstream browsers, which can effectively prevent content from being blocked after anchor points jump and improve user experience.
Using scroll-padding
in CSS helps improve the user experience when navigating within a page—especially with fixed headers. When you use anchor links (like #section1
), the browser scrolls to that element, but if you have a fixed header, it often overlaps the content, making it hard to read. That's where scroll-padding
comes in.

What scroll-padding does
The scroll-padding
property sets offset space around the scroll container's viewport. This ensures that when a link jumps to a section, the content isn't hidden behind a sticky or fixed header. It works on the scroll container—usually the body
or html
element.
How to apply scroll-padding
Start by applying scroll-padding-top
to the html
element (which is typically the scroll container in modern browsers):

html { scroll-padding-top: 80px; /* Adjust to match your fixed header height */ }
Now, when someone clicks an in-page link like:
<a href="#about">Go to About</a> ... <section id="about"> <h2>About Us</h2> <p>This content won't be hidden under the header.</p> </section>
The browser will automatically leave 80px of space at the top before aligning the target element, preventing overlap.

Key points to remember
- Apply it to the scrolling container : Usually
html
, notbody
. Most browsers use the root element as the scroll port. - Match the padding to your header height : If your fixed header is 60px tall, use
scroll-padding-top: 60px
. - Use responsive units if needed : You can use
em
,rem
, or evenvh
for dynamic layouts. - Avoid setting padding directly on sections : While you could add
padding-top
to each section, that can mess with layout and spacing.scroll-padding
is non-invasive.
Optional: Fine-tune for different breakpoints
If your header height changes on mobile, update scroll-padding-top
accordingly:
html { scroll-padding-top: 80px; } @media (max-width: 768px) { html { scroll-padding-top: 60px; } }
This keeps navigation accurate across devices.
Browser support and fallbacks
scroll-padding
is well-supported in all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). If you need to support older browsers, consider JavaScript-based scroll handlers or adding top padding/margin to target elements as a fallback.
Basically, scroll-padding
is a clean, CSS-only fix for a common UX issue. Set it once on the html
element, match it to your header height, and your anchor links will work smoothly.
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