[TIP] How to Restore Full Classic Scrollbar in Windows 11

If you want to restore classic Windows 10 style full scrollbars in Windows 11, this article will help you.

Windows 11 comes with new overlay scrollbar feature and the scrollbar is set to auto-hidden by default. Whenever you open File Explorer or other native UWP apps such as Notepad, Mail, Photos, etc, the scrollbar is not shown. When you hover the mouse cursor over the scrollbar location i.e. right-side space near the window border, Windows 11 displays the scrollbar as a thin line.

The overlay scrollbar in Windows 11 is drawn in minimal form without up/down arrows and once you hover the mouse cursor over the thin scrollbar, it automatically appears in full form.

In this article, we’ll learn how to force Windows 11 to always show the scrollbar and how to disable the new overlay scrollbar and restore classic scrollbar in Windows 11.

Following image will give you better idea about various forms of scrollbar in Windows 11 and how the classic scrollbar looks:

The first image shows the auto-hidden scrollbar in Windows 11 app. The second image shows the tiny or thin scrollbar visible. The 3rd image shows overlay scrollbar which appears upon mouse hover and the 4th image shows classic scrollbar restored in Windows 11.

If you also want to restore full classic scrollbar in Windows 11, following steps will help you:

STEP 1: Force Windows 11 to Always Show Scrollbar

First of all, we’ll disable the auto-hide attribute of scrollbar and force Windows 11 to always display the scrollbar in apps.

1. Open Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together.

2. Now click on “Accessibility” section or tab present in left-side pane.

3. In right-side pane, click on “Visual Effects” option.

4. Now look for following option:

This option is disabled i.e. set to off by default which makes the scrollbars hidden.

5. Set the toggle button given next to the option to ON.

Now the scrollbar will become always visible everywhere in Windows 11.

STEP 2: Restore Full Classic Scrollbar in Windows 11

The scrollbar is displayed using the current theme applied in Windows. Scrollbar is a part of Windows UI and all UI elements are drawn using visual style or theme installed in Windows operating system.

Related: List of Theme Elements | Windows Customization FAQ

To restore classic scrollbar, we’ll need to apply a custom theme in Windows 11.

We released an exclusive classic theme for Windows 11 recently and the same theme can restore the full classic scrollbar in Windows 11 along with many other classic UI stuff.

Following image shows classic theme applied in Windows 11:

You can see the classic scrollbar is back in Windows 11 after applying the classic theme.

You can download and apply the classic theme in Windows 11 using following article:

Enable Classic Theme and UI in Windows 11 Using AskVG Theme

After applying the theme, you’ll be able to enjoy classic UI in your Windows 11 device similar to Windows 10 and previous Windows versions.

Also Check:

[AskVG Gallery] Download Free Themes, Skins, Wallpapers for Windows

How to Restore or Enable Classic File Explorer in Windows 11 (All Versions)

How to Restore or Enable Classic Taskbar in Windows 11 (All Versions)