How Do You Make a Scroll Bar in Figma?

September 17, 2023 figma

Scroll bars are an essential element in web design, allowing users to navigate through content that exceeds the visible area of a webpage. Figma, a popular design tool, provides a straightforward way to create scroll bars for your designs. In this tutorial, we will explore how to make a scroll bar in Figma using simple HTML styling elements.

Setting up the Document

Before we dive into creating the scroll bar, let's set up our document in Figma. Open Figma and create a new project or open an existing one. Select the artboard or frame where you want to add the scroll bar.

Creating the Scrollable Container

To create a scrollable container, we'll use a

element with specific CSS properties. In Figma, you can achieve this by creating a rectangle shape that represents your content area.

In the Layers panel, select the rectangle shape layer and rename it as "Scrollable Container" for better organization.

Applying CSS Properties

To make this rectangle shape scrollable, we need to apply some CSS properties. Select the "Scrollable Container" layer and go to the right sidebar where you'll find various properties like fill color and stroke weight.

Add padding to your container by modifying the "Padding" property under "Layout" section. This will ensure that your content doesn't touch the edges of the container.

To enable scrolling within this container, navigate to "Overflow" property under "Layout" section and select "Scroll". This will add both horizontal and vertical scroll bars if needed.

Adding Content

Now that our scrollable container is ready, let's add some content to test the scroll bar. Double-click on the "Scrollable Container" layer to enter the container.

Inside the container, you can add any elements such as text, images, or even other containers. For this example, let's add a paragraph of lorem ipsum text to simulate content that exceeds the visible area.

After adding your content, exit the container by double-clicking outside or pressing Esc. You will now see that your content extends beyond the visible area of the container.

Customizing the Scroll Bar

To make your scroll bar visually appealing and consistent with your design, you can customize its appearance using CSS properties. Unfortunately, Figma doesn't provide direct options for styling scroll bars.

However, you can simulate a custom scroll bar by creating additional elements like rectangles and lines. Use these elements to represent the track and thumb of the scroll bar. Apply appropriate colors and dimensions to match your design aesthetic.

Previewing Your Scroll Bar

You have successfully created a scroll bar for your design in Figma! To preview how it works, click on the "Play" button at the top-right corner of Figma's interface. This will open a new window where you can interact with your design.

In preview mode, you can test scrolling by dragging within the scrollable container. The custom scroll bar elements you added will move accordingly with their corresponding behavior.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to create a scroll bar in Figma using HTML styling elements. By applying specific CSS properties to a rectangle shape representing our content area, we were able to make it scrollable within Figma's design environment.

Remember that Figma doesn't provide direct options for styling scroll bars, but you can simulate custom scroll bars using additional elements. Experiment with different designs and enjoy creating scrollable content that enhances user experience in your web designs!