CSS Scroll Snap is a native CSS feature that controls how scrolling "snaps" to specific points within a scroll container. It eliminates the need for JavaScript-based carousel libraries, providing smoother performance and better accessibility. Use it for image carousels, product galleries, onboarding flows, testimonial sliders, and any scrollable list where you want items to lock into perfect alignment.

mandatory — The browser always snaps to a snap point when scrolling stops, even if the user scrolls just a tiny amount. This creates a strict, predictable snapping behavior ideal for full-screen slides.

proximity — The browser only snaps if the scroll position is close enough to a snap point. If the user stops scrolling halfway between two items, it stays there. This feels more natural for content-heavy interfaces like image galleries or article feeds.

When set to center, the browser aligns the center of each snap item with the center of the scroll container. This creates a beautiful "spotlight" effect where the current item is perfectly centered while users can peek at the previous and next items. It's widely used in app store-like designs, featured content sections, and modern card carousels.

By default (normal), a fast swipe or flick can skip past multiple snap points — the browser may "coast" through several items. Setting scroll-snap-stop: always on each item forces the scroll to stop at the very next snap point, preventing users from accidentally skipping content. This property is set on the child items, not the container.

scroll-padding (set on the container) offsets the snap position from the container's edges. This is essential when you have a fixed header, sticky navigation bar, or want breathing room around snapped items. For example, scroll-padding: 20px ensures items snap 20px away from the container boundary rather than flush against it. Use the slider above to see it in action!

Yes! CSS Scroll Snap is supported in all modern browsers: Chrome 69+, Firefox 68+, Safari 11+, and Edge 79+. It covers over 96% of global users. For older browsers, the scroll container simply behaves like a normal scrollable area — the content remains fully accessible, just without the snapping effect. This makes it a perfect progressive enhancement.

Absolutely. Scroll snapping works seamlessly with touch gestures on mobile devices, trackpad swipes, mouse wheel scrolling, and even keyboard navigation (arrow keys). The browser handles all input methods consistently. For the best mobile experience, pair scroll-snap with -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch for smooth momentum scrolling on iOS.