Disabling Overscroll History Navigation in Chrome: A Comprehensive Guide

Chrome's overscroll history navigation feature can be a blessing and a curse. While it provides a convenient way to navigate back and forward through your browsing history with a simple swipe gesture, it can also be disruptive, especially in kiosk mode or when using touchscreen applications. This article delves into the methods for disabling this feature, offering solutions for various Chrome versions and use cases.

The Overscroll History Navigation Challenge

Many users, particularly developers of web applications intended for kiosk or touchscreen environments, have sought ways to disable overscroll history navigation. The initial approach involved using command-line flags when launching Chrome. However, as Chrome evolved, these flags became unreliable and were eventually removed.

The primary issue arises when unintended swipe gestures trigger navigation, disrupting the user experience. The goal is to provide a stable and consistent browsing environment, free from accidental history navigation.

Solutions for Disabling Overscroll Navigation

Here are several methods to disable overscroll history navigation in Chrome, catering to different scenarios:

1. Using Chrome Flags (Older Versions)

In older versions of Chrome, the --overscroll-history-navigation flag was a viable solution. To use it, you would launch Chrome with the following command-line arguments:

chrome.exe --overscroll-history-navigation=0 --disable-pinch

• --overscroll-history-navigation=0: This flag was intended to disable the overscroll history navigation feature.
• --disable-pinch: This flag disables pinch-to-zoom functionality, which can sometimes interfere with intended touch interactions.

Note: This method is unlikely to work on modern versions of Chrome, as the flag has been removed.

2. Disabling via chrome://flags

A more direct approach involves accessing Chrome's experimental flags page.

Steps:

1. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://flags/#overscroll-history-navigation.
2. Locate the "Overscroll history navigation" flag.
3. Set the flag to "Disabled".
4. Restart Chrome for the changes to take effect.

This method offers a user-friendly way to toggle the feature on or off. However, it requires manual intervention, which isn't ideal for all situations, especially in kiosk environments.

3. CSS overscroll-behavior Property

A more robust and code-centric solution involves using the CSS overscroll-behavior property. This property allows you to control the browser's behavior when the content of an element overflows.

Implementation:

Add the following CSS to your application's stylesheet:

html, body {
  overscroll-behavior: none;
}

• overscroll-behavior: none;: This setting prevents the default overscroll behavior, effectively disabling history navigation via swipe gestures.

Applying this CSS to both the html and body tags ensures that the entire page is affected, preventing overscroll navigation from any part of the application. Consider applying the style to specific containers if you only want to disable it in certain sections.

This approach is particularly effective for web applications and kiosk environments where you have control over the HTML and CSS.

4. Disable Features via Command Line (Chrome 92+)

For Chrome version 92 and later, a different command-line flag can be used:

chrome.exe --disable-features=OverscrollHistoryNavigation

This flag directly disables the overscroll history navigation feature. It provides a more targeted approach compared to previous methods.

Choosing the Right Solution

The best method for disabling overscroll history navigation depends on your specific needs and the Chrome version you are using:

• For web applications: The CSS overscroll-behavior property is generally the most reliable and maintainable solution.
• For kiosk environments: A combination of CSS and potentially the command-line flag (if applicable to the Chrome version) may be necessary.
• For individual users: Using chrome://flags provides a simple way to toggle the feature.

Conclusion

Disabling overscroll history navigation in Chrome requires understanding the available methods and choosing the one that best fits your use case. While older command-line flags are no longer reliable, the CSS overscroll-behavior property and the --disable-features flag (for newer versions) offer effective solutions for preventing unwanted history navigation. By implementing these techniques, you can create a more controlled and user-friendly browsing experience.