description: Automatically update Bootstrap navigation or list group components based on scroll position to indicate which link is currently active in the viewport.
Scrollspy toggles the `.active` class on anchor (`<a>`) elements when the element with the `id` referenced by the anchor's `href` is scrolled into view. Scrollspy is best used in conjunction with a Bootstrap [nav component]({{< docsref "/components/navs-tabs" >}}) or [list group]({{< docsref "/components/list-group" >}}), but it will also work with any anchor elements in the current page. Here's how it works.
- To start, scrollspy requires two things: a navigation, list group, or a simple set of links, plus a scrollable container. The scrollable container can be the `<body>` or a custom element with a set `height` and `overflow-y: scroll`.
- On the scrollable container, add `data-bs-spy="scroll"` and `data-bs-target="#navId"` where `navId` is the unique `id` of the associated navigation. If there is no focusable element inside the element, be sure to also include a `tabindex="0"` to ensure keyboard access.
- As you scroll the "spied" container, an `.active` class is added and removed from anchor links within the associated navigation. Links must have resolvable `id` targets, otherwise they're ignored. For example, a `<a href="#home">home</a>` must correspond to something in the DOM like `<div id="home"></div>`
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="scrollspyHeading2">Second heading</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="scrollspyHeading4">Fourth heading</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="scrollspyHeading5">Fifth heading</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
Scrollspy also works with nested `.nav`s. If a nested `.nav` is `.active`, its parents will also be `.active`. Scroll the area next to the navbar and watch the active class change.
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the JavaScript plugin tries to pick the right element among all that may be visible. Multiple visible scrollspy targets at the same time may cause some issues.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
Scrollspy is not limited to nav components and list groups, so it will work on any `<a>` anchor elements in the current document. Scroll the area and watch the `.active` class change.
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="simple-list-item-2">Item 2</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="simple-list-item-3">Item 3</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="simple-list-item-4">Item 4</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
<h4id="simple-list-item-5">Item 5</h4>
<p>This is some placeholder content for the scrollspy page. Note that as you scroll down the page, the appropriate navigation link is highlighted. It's repeated throughout the component example. We keep adding some more example copy here to emphasize the scrolling and highlighting.</p>
Target elements that aren’t visible will be ignored and their corresponding nav items won't receive an `.active` class. Scrollspy instances initialized in a non-visible wrapper will ignore all target elements. Use the `refresh` method to check for observable elements once the wrapper becomes visible.
To easily add scrollspy behavior to your topbar navigation, add `data-bs-spy="scroll"` to the element you want to spy on (most typically this would be the `<body>`). Then add the `data-bs-target` attribute with the `id` or class name of the parent element of any Bootstrap `.nav` component.
| `getOrCreateInstance` | *Static* method to get the scrollspy instance associated with a DOM element, or to create a new one in case it wasn't initialized. |
