Keeping the Scroll Bar

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated April 29, 2019)

Over the years, a change has been taking place with regards to how computers show information on screen. How the information is shown and displayed on your screen is known as the UI or User Interface. How you interact with the UI is referred to as UX, which is short for User eXperience. One of the biggest changes has been the hiding of scroll bars, those bars on the sides of windows that inform you that there is more information in the window than what you can currently see. Often, the scroll bar will show up temporarily as you start to scroll, such as with the Start Menu, but then it disappears after a predetermined amount of time. This can be a bit aggravating if you're trying to scroll through a window by clicking and dragging on the scroll bar.

If you find that you would prefer to have a scroll bar visible by default, you can change a setting within Windows 10. To show scroll bars follow these quick steps:

  1. Press the Windows key and type (without quotes) "Ease of Access Display Settings" then press Enter. Windows displays the Ease of Access Display Settings dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    2. Figure 1. The Ease of Access Display Settings dialog box.

  2. Turn off the toggle for Automatically Hide Scroll Bars in Windows, under the Simplify and Personalize Windows heading. You can then close the settings dialog box as Windows will immediately show the scroll bars within all the windows and dialogs. (See Figure 2.)

    3. Figure 2. Start Menu with scroll bars (left) and without (right).

If you find that you want the scroll bars hidden again, simply repeat the steps you used above. This simple setting change can help you navigate through windows and dialog boxes faster or with more control.

 This tip (13626) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Command Prompt's New Tricks

Command Prompt has been around for a while in various versions of Windows. With Windows 10 the Command Prompt window has ...

Discover More

Disabling USB Storage Devices

USB storage devices can be extremely helpful. They can also allow people to copy and access your information through the ...

Discover More

Setting Time Limits for Windows 10 Users

If your computer is set up in crowded environment, it may be helpful to establish times that an account can be used. You ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Understanding Compatibility Settings

Compatibility settings are parameters within executable images that allow or deny it to properly run under a given ...

Discover More

Sharing a Windows Theme with a Friend or Coworker

Being able to customize your theme is a great way to personalize your computer, but what if you want to share your theme ...

Discover More

Changing the Mouse Pointer

Windows is rather configurable, especially when it comes to the user interface. Here's how you can modify the way that ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five less than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.