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How do scroll-margin and scroll-padding differ?

Updated Apr 28, 2026

Short answer

They manage offsets when using CSS scroll snapping or anchor links, but one is applied to the scrollable container, the other to the target item.

Deep explanation

scroll-padding is applied to the parent container to create an offset zone (e.g., to account for a fixed sticky header). scroll-margin is applied directly to the child element to push it away from the snap boundary.

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