# Adding Scrollbars to Jetpack Compose

DevFeed: [Adding Scrollbars to Jetpack Compose](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/adding-scrollbars-to-jetpack-compose-25121.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<http://michaelevans.org/blog/2026/02/11/custom-scroll-indicators-in-jetpack-compose-foundation/>)

Author: Michael Evans

Published: 2026-02-12T02:14:16Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Gadget Habit](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/gadget-habit.md>)

Topics: [Compose](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/compose.md>), [Jetpack Compose](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/jetpack-compose.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui.md>), [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [changelog](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/changelog.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [changelog](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/changelog.md>), [compose](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compose.md>), [jetpack-compose](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/jetpack-compose.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>), [update](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/update.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains the custom scroll indicator APIs introduced in Jetpack Compose Foundation 1.11.0-alpha01. It describes why scrollbars improve feedback about scrollability, content length, position, and visible range, and notes that the API was later reverted in 1.11.0-alpha06 after API Council feedback. The article applies to alpha01 through alpha05, while the provided text ends before the detailed API overview.

## Source excerpt

Update (February 25, 2026): The scroll indicator API described in this post was reverted in Compose Foundation 1.11.0-alpha06. According to the changelog, the revert was because of API Council feedback, so we'll likely get a new version of the API before long. In the meantime, this article still applies to Foundation 1.11.0-alpha01 through alpha05, and the concepts might carry over when the replacement lands. Jetpack Compose Foundation 1.11-alpha-01 introduced a long-awaited feature: the ability to add custom scroll indicators to scrollable containers. If you've been following Compose development, you've probably noticed that scrollbars were conspicuously absent -- unlike Android Views, which have had them built-in for years. This has been a frequently asked question on Stack Overflow and discussed in the Android developer community, and it's been on the Compose roadmap since at least September 2024 (though the roadmap may have changed by the time you're reading this). Why scroll indicators matter Scrollbars have been around for decades and are an effective, interactive UI control. As Blake Watson points out, scrollbars provide immediate visual feedback that's hard to replicate: They indicate scrollability -- Users can instantly see that content extends beyond the visible area They show content length -- The scrollbar's size relative to the track gives a sense of how much content exists They show current position -- Users know exactly where they are in the document They show visible range -- The thumb size indicates how much of the total content is currently visible Without scroll indicators, users in Compose apps have been left guessing about scrollable content, especially in long lists or documents. The new APIs finally give us the tools to address this. Background: The missing scrollbar Compose has always lacked built-in scroll indicators. While you could build custom solutions using drawWithContent and LazyListState.layoutInfo (as many developers have done), there wa