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CSS Scroll Shadow Generator - Online Overflow Indicator

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šŸŽÆ CSS Scroll Shadow Generator

Overflow Indicator ā€” pure CSS, no JavaScript needed for production

Shadow Directions
Appearance
35%
40px
60%
Container Settings
Quick Presets
Default Soft Gray Dark Mode Brand Blue Heavy Subtle
Live Preview Scroll inside ā†“

šŸ‘‹ Scroll me! This container has overflow content. As you scroll, notice how shadows appear at the edges to indicate there's more content.

This technique uses pure CSS ā€” background-attachment: local combined with scroll on layered gradients. No JavaScript required in production.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

// This wide code block triggers horizontal scroll shadows ā†’ const config = { apiKey: "sk-abc123def456", endpoint: "https://api.example.com/v2/entities/", timeout: 30000, retries: 5 };

šŸ You've reached the end! Scroll back up to see the top shadow appear again.

Generated CSS 
/* Loading... */
Pro Tips
  • The cover gradients (using container's background color) sit above the shadow gradients and use background-attachment: local to scroll away, revealing shadows.
  • Shadow gradients use background-attachment: scroll, so they stay fixed relative to the container.
  • Works in all modern browsers ā€” Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (IE11 not supported).
  • For rounded containers, shadows extend to the full edge ā€” this is usually acceptable visually.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CSS scroll shadow / overflow indicator?
A scroll shadow is a visual cue ā€” a gradient shadow that appears at the edges of a scrollable container ā€” indicating there's more content to scroll. It's a pure CSS technique using layered background-image gradients with different background-attachment values (local vs scroll). When the user reaches the edge of the content, the corresponding shadow disappears, providing intuitive feedback.
How does background-attachment: local vs scroll make this work?
scroll: The background is fixed relative to the element itself ā€” it doesn't move when content scrolls. local: The background scrolls along with the element's content. By layering a cover gradient (local, using the container's background color) above a shadow gradient (scroll), the cover slides away as you scroll, revealing the shadow underneath. When scrolled to the edge, the cover hides the shadow entirely.
Does this technique require JavaScript?
No! This is a pure CSS solution. Once you apply the generated CSS to your scrollable container, the shadows appear and disappear automatically based on scroll position ā€” no event listeners, observers, or JavaScript needed in production. The tool here uses JS only for the interactive generator.
Can I use this on horizontally scrollable containers?
Absolutely. Enable Left and Right directions in the generator. The same principle applies ā€” horizontal shadow gradients (using to right or to left) paired with horizontal cover gradients. This works great for wide tables, code blocks, and image carousels.
What's the browser compatibility?
All modern browsers fully support this technique: Chrome 4+, Firefox 4+, Safari 5+, Edge 12+. Multiple background layers are supported everywhere. background-attachment: local has been supported since the early days of CSS3. Internet Explorer 11 does support the basics but may have minor rendering quirks with multiple attachment values.
How do I use this in React, Vue, or other frameworks?
Simply copy the generated CSS and apply it to your scrollable container element. In React, you can use inline styles or a CSS module. In Vue, use <style scoped> or inline styles. The technique is framework-agnostic ā€” it's just CSS. If you need dynamic shadow colors based on theme, bind the background properties to your theme variables.
Why use scroll shadows instead of custom scrollbar styling?
Scroll shadows provide a more intuitive, modern UX compared to custom scrollbars. They're especially useful on mobile/touch devices where scrollbars are hidden by default, and in embedded widgets where space is limited. They also work consistently across platforms, whereas custom scrollbar styling varies between browsers (WebKit vs Firefox).
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