Why do all my Webflow site pages have a horizontal overlay, even after trying to hide overflowing content and using elements with 100vh?
TL;DR
- Inspect all elements in Webflow Designer and DevTools to find those with large widths, negative margins, or improper positioning causing overflow.
- Avoid using 100vw; instead, use width: 100% or a calculated value to account for scrollbars.
- Check animations, interactions, and fixed/sticky elements for unintended layout shifts.
- Temporarily apply overflow-x: hidden to confirm the issue, but fix the underlying cause for a proper solution.
A persistent horizontal scroll or overlay on your Webflow site usually indicates that an element is overflowing beyond the viewport width. Hiding overflow or using 100vh might not address the true cause.
1. Inspect for Overflowing Elements
- Switch to Webflow Designer, then select each page and scrub through content using Navigator to identify large or offset elements.
- Look for elements that have large widths or negative margins, especially:
- Elements set to 100vw without accounting for scrollbars.
- Elements with large fixed positioning or absolute positioning.
- Grids, sliders, or animations that push content horizontally.
2. Use Webflow’s Built-in Overflow Detection
- In Preview mode, open Chrome DevTools and select the Elements tab.
- Add the CSS rule
* { outline: 1px solid red }in the Styles panel to reveal which element is overflowing. - Resize the window to catch issues happening at specific breakpoints.
3. Avoid Using 100vw Without Scrollbar Compensation
- 100vw includes the scrollbar width, which can push elements outside of the visible area.
- Instead of width: 100vw, use width: 100%, or apply styles like
calc(100vw - 15px)where necessary.
4. Check for Improper Animations or Interactions
- Go to Interactions panel and inspect any scroll-based or load animations.
- Sometimes hidden content gets moved into view or shifted due to misconfigured animations.
5. Inspect Fixed or Sticky Elements
- Check fixed navbars, footers, or sticky sidebars. These can be wider than the viewport or improperly positioned.
- Verify their widths are no more than 100% and that no extra padding/margin is pushing them horizontally.
6. Temporarily Add overflow-x: hidden to the Body
- As a test, add overflow-x: hidden to the Body (All Pages) tag.
- If this removes the scroll, it confirms the issue is horizontal overflow (not just layout).
- Only use this as a temporary fix—not a permanent solution—because it hides the symptom, not the cause.
Summary
The most common cause of horizontal overlay in Webflow is an element overflowing due to mismatched widths, animations, or fixed positioning. Avoid using 100vw directly and check each element’s layout and interactions to identify the true source. If unsure, test with overflow-x: hidden to confirm it’s a horizontal overflow issue.