ChatGPT scrolling badly broken after recent changes to thread loading

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1

In the last 48 hours a bug has appeared in the ChatGPT interface which renders the model in large part unusable.

Previously, a chat thread could be scrolled up and down normally using the scrollbar, as you would scroll any web page. The length of the thread made this process take longer but didn’t otherwise interfere.

Now, using Edge, the browser immediately reconfigures the scrollbar to give the impression that the currently displayed conversation is the full extent of the conversation — effectively one screenful. You cannot scroll up to view earlier portions, nor scroll down normally.

The built-in “down” arrow in the interface does move you to the bottom, but this immediately results in the most bizarre screen shaking. This quietens if I place the cursor in the message chat box, but resolves nothing other than getting me to the end of a conversation of which I can now view only the last screenful.

There are two workarounds, one of which is slightly less sub-optimal than the other:

1) Left-click and drag (highlighting the text) in whichever direction I want to go. This reveals the text but it’s impossibly clumsy and is not a solution.

2) Arrow keys ↑ and ↓. These do work and restore reasonable functionality, except that the process is laboriously slow.

Chrome is slightly different: there is no scrollbar at all, although the arrow keys likewise allow me to navigate the conversation.

GPT broken b
GPT broken b1554×879 185 KB

GPT broken c
GPT broken c1558×865 221 KB

I’ve attached screenshots showing the Edge scrollbar behaviour. Starting at the bottom, the scrollbar is short and correctly positioned. Pressing ↑ causes it immediately to jump to the top and expand dramatically, as though the conversation consisted only of the currently displayed screenful. Continuing to press ↑ progressively reveals earlier parts of the conversation, while the scrollbar progressively becomes shorter.

The conversation content is clearly still there; the problem is that the normal navigation mechanism is broken.

This appears to have followed the recent changes to long-thread loading & navigation. In my experience these changes have made navigation of long conversations substantially worse.

Thanks to the Open AI developers for their amazing product, but please fix this if possible.

2

The issue is affecting me too (02/10/2026, 11.45 BST). I have been unable to scroll for 48 hours. The issue is affecting the Plus version and remains present regardless of browser used and after multiple login and out attempts.

3

It’s worse with Chrome. There is no down arrow at all. So the only workaround is to “jump” to the bottom, then scroll back up to the next page in Chat’s response. It is infuriating. If the tool IS the conversation, and you can’t even basically navigate the conversation, what do we have?