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How to Use Tkinter Scrollbar – Easy Steps for Beginners

Learn how to use the Tkinter Scrollbar in Python.

This beginner-friendly guide walks you through step-by-step with code examples and explanations.

Tkinter Scrollbar Tkinter Scrollbar

What is a Scrollbar in Tkinter?

Scrollbars in Tkinter are those little bars that help you scroll when content overflows.

Imagine you have a huge list or a long text area.

If it doesn’t fit in the window, you need a way to see the rest.

That’s where scrollbars come in.

They don’t belong inside widgets like Text or Listbox.

Instead, they are separate widgets that you connect to scrollable ones.

Basics of Tkinter Scrollbar Widget

To make a scrollbar in Tkinter, you use ttk.Scrollbar.

It’s simple and modern-looking.

The basic syntax looks like this:

ttk.Scrollbar(master=None, **kw)

Here’s what it means:

  • master: Where the scrollbar goes (like a Frame or root window).
  • **kw: Extra options, like direction (orient), action (command), style, and more.

Common values:

  • orient=tk.VERTICAL or tk.HORIZONTAL
  • command=some_widget.yview or xview

Tkinter Scrollbar

How to Create a Vertical Scrollbar

Let’s create one step by step.

v_scrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(
    scrollable_widget,
    orient=tk.VERTICAL,
    command=scrollable_widget.yview
)

What’s happening here?

  • scrollable_widget: This could be a Text, Listbox, or Canvas.
  • orient: We picked VERTICAL for up-down scrolling.
  • command: This tells the scrollbar what to control.

Now, we also need the widget to tell the scrollbar what’s visible.

We do that like this:

scrollable_widget['yscrollcommand'] = scrollbar.set

Now both the scrollbar and widget are in sync.

Making Widgets Scrollable with Scrollbar

Let’s break it down.

Link Scrollbar → Widget

Use command=widget.yview

Link Widget → Scrollbar

Use yscrollcommand=scrollbar.set

Both sides need to talk to each other for a smooth scrolling.

Adding a Scrollbar to a Text Widget With Example

Here’s a working example:

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Tkinter Scrollbar")

frame = ttk.Frame(root)
frame.pack(padx=10, pady=10, fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)

v_scrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(frame)
v_scrollbar.pack(side=tk.RIGHT, fill=tk.Y)

text = tk.Text(frame, height=8)
text.pack(side=tk.LEFT, expand=True, fill=tk.BOTH)

text['yscrollcommand'] = v_scrollbar.set
v_scrollbar.config(command=text.yview)

text.insert(tk.END, "\n" * 20)

root.mainloop()

tkinter scrollbar with text widget example

How it works:

  • We put both the Text and Scrollbar in a Frame.
  • The scrollbar is packed to the right, filling vertically.
  • The text widget is on the left and expandable.
  • We connect both using yscrollcommand and command.

Now, when you run it, the scrollbar works perfectly.

Horizontal Scrollbars

Sometimes, your content stretches sideways instead of down. Maybe it’s a wide table, long line of code, or big image. That’s where horizontal scrollbars shine.

How to Add a Horizontal Scrollbar

Let’s tweak our earlier example to include one:

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import ttk

root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Horizontal Scrollbar Example")

frame = ttk.Frame(root)
frame.pack(padx=10, pady=10, fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)

# Text widget
text = tk.Text(frame, wrap="none", height=8, width=40)
text.pack(side=tk.TOP, fill=tk.BOTH, expand=True)


# Horizontal scrollbar
h_scrollbar = ttk.Scrollbar(frame, orient=tk.HORIZONTAL, command=text.xview)
h_scrollbar.pack(side=tk.BOTTOM, fill=tk.X)
text.config(xscrollcommand=h_scrollbar.set)

# Add sample long line
text.insert(tk.END, "This is a very long line of text that will need horizontal scrolling. " * 5)

root.mainloop()

tkinter horizontal scrollbar example

What’s New?

  • We added wrap="none" to the Text widget. This disables auto line wrapping so the line can scroll horizontally.
  • We packed the horizontal scrollbar at the bottom (side=tk.BOTTOM) and filled it horizontally with fill=tk.X.
  • We connected xview and xscrollcommand just like we did with vertical scrolling.

Now you can scroll left and right easily.

Conclusion

Using scrollbars in Tkinter might look a little tricky at first—but once you get the hang of it, it’s super simple.

Let’s recap the key steps:

  • Create a Scrollbar widget.
  • Set orientation: vertical or horizontal.
  • Link the widget to the scrollbar using command and yscrollcommand or xscrollcommand.
  • Pack them properly inside a Frame.

With scrollbars, your GUI apps become way more user-friendly. Whether you’re building a text editor, a file browser, or just displaying a lot of data—scrollbars will make your layout clean and accessible.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try combining both horizontal and vertical scrollbars with a Canvas widget. It gives you full control over scrolling content in any direction.

That’s it! You now have a strong foundation for using the Tkinter Scrollbar widget like a pro.

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