How To Hide Scroll Bar in Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

I'm going to teach you how to hide the scroll bar in Google Chrome. If you're looking to create a cleaner, more minimal browsing experience by hiding those scroll bars, you're in the right place. I'll guide you through the whole process step by step.

It's both simple and effective and it shouldn't take more than a few minutes. If you also want to reduce on-screen chrome, you can hide the address bar in Chrome for an even cleaner look.

Hide Scroll Bar in Google Chrome [2026 Guide]

Open Chrome flags

First, open up a new tab in your Google Chrome browser. When you have that open, go to the address bar at the top. Type chrome://flags and press Enter.

chrome://flags

This command takes you to Chrome's experiments page, a place where you can tweak advanced features that aren't typically as accessible in the main settings menu.

Search the flag

On the experiments page, use the search bar at the top. Type scroll or overlay scrollbars into this search bar.

Search: overlay scrollbars

This action helps you narrow down the numerous settings available and brings you directly to what we're looking for.

Enable overlay scrollbars

Spot the Overlay Scrollbars option. It should be listed right there. You'll notice a drop-down menu located next to this option.

Click the drop-down menu, which will present you with a list of options, and select Enabled. This change activates the overlay scrollbar feature, which essentially hides the scroll bar until you begin interacting with the content.

Overlay Scrollbars → Enabled

Relaunch Chrome

After making your selection, you'll see a button appear at the bottom of your window prompting you to Relaunch Chrome. Click that button.

Relaunching is crucial as it applies all the changes you've just made. Don't worry about losing your open tabs or ongoing downloads, because Chrome is designed to remember your session state when you restart it.

Result

There you have it. Once Chrome relaunches, you'll notice that the scroll bars are now hidden, only appearing when you start scrolling for a more minimalistic browsing experience.

This small tweak can really enhance the look and feel of web pages, giving your browser a cleaner appearance. If you're tidying up for privacy too, consider clearing your search bar history in Chrome.

Troubleshooting

If your search bar seems to disappear or act oddly after restarting, you can follow this guide to fix Chrome’s search bar when it goes missing. It walks through quick checks to get everything back in place.

Final Thoughts

Hiding the scroll bar with Overlay Scrollbars gives Chrome a cleaner, more focused feel while keeping scrolling fully functional. The steps are quick, and Chrome preserves your session when you relaunch, making the change painless. Enjoy the tidier look every time you browse.