Why Is My Popup Not Scrolling Properly/Background Scrolling

Overview  #

A set of possible solutions to try when a popup does not scroll properly, or the page scrolls but the popup does not.

Related article:  How to Display Different Popup and Overlay Scroll Effects in Combination

Solution #1: Disable “Fixed Popup” Setting #

The first thing you need to do to make sure your popup scrolls properly is 
do not enable the Fixed Positioning setting. In the Popup Editor, go to the ‘Popup Settings’ box -> ‘Display’ option tab -> ‘Position’ category.  Locate the checkbox labeled ‘Fixed Positioning’ and set it to unchecked (default setting). 

If you’re still seeing the issue, please continue reading.

Solution #2: Use Proper Popup Positioning #

If your popup is taller than the browser height, and you have your Position
Location Setting on Middle Center, then this could be causing your issue. You will especially notice this because the top of your popup will be cut off as seen here:

Looking at the scrollbar, we clearly can’t scroll up anymore, but it looks like we’re missing a huge part of the top of our popup. When a popup is too tall for a screen, or if there’s a possibility it may be too tall for smaller screens, then you must set your Popup Position Location to
Top Center. 

As in the previous example: 

1. Go to the ‘Popup Settings’ box ->
2. ‘Display’ option tab -> ‘Position’ category.  
3. Change the ‘Location’ selector from ‘Middle Center’ to ‘Top Center’. 

Now it should look something like this, and we can scroll down to see the rest of form as well:

Solution #3: Do Not Use iFrames #

Using iFrames within your popups is not only a cumbersome solution, but it’s not responsive and will give you headaches across multiple platforms and devices. If you’re using iFrames in your popups, expect problems.

Unfortunately, when it comes to iFrames, there’s nothing we can do on our end to make the situation better – this is just the nature of iFrames.

It’s highly recommended that you find a way to replace what you’re trying to do without using iFrames. The good news is that it shouldn’t be a problem to find a replacement solution, as most up-to-date plugins and sites don’t use iFrames because of the inherent restrictions associated with them.

Solution #4: Your Theme Is Overwriting Our Styles #

The scrolling issues could also be caused by your theme styles. If your theme styles are overwriting our styles, then you’ll want to implement this CSS code into your site:

html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay, html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay.pum-open-fixed .pum-overlay {
    overflow: hidden!important;
}

Using this code will give the scrollbars the proper styling so that they work as intended.

View the original source CSS on
GitHub.

Solution #5: Fix the Background and Enable Smooth Scrolling #

If everything is great on desktops, and the issue occurs exclusively on mobile devices and tablets, use either of the following CSS examples in your theme stylesheet to address the issue:

html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay,
html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay.pum-open-fixed .pum-overlay {
    overflow: hidden;
    position: fixed;
    width: 100%;
}
html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay.pum-open-scrollable .pum-overlay.pum-active {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;
}

View the original source CSS on
GitHub.

If the code above (5a) causes the page to jump to the top of the screen when the popup is triggered, use the modified CSS below (5b).

html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay.pum-open-fixed .pum-overlay {
    overflow: hidden;
    position: fixed;
    width: 100%;
}
html.pum-open.pum-open-overlay.pum-open-scrollable .pum-overlay.pum-active {
    overflow-y: scroll;
    -webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;
}

View the original source CSS on
GitHub.

Related article:  Why Does My Page Jump to the Top When a Popup Is Triggered.

Solution #6: Disable the Popup Overlay #

If all else fails, disabling the Popup Overlay will likely fix your issue. This is a last resort, as most people like having the Overlay as a part of their popup because of the aesthetics it adds.

To disable the overlay layer:

• Go to the ‘Popup Settings’ box ->
• Select the ‘Display’ option tab ->
• Select the ‘Advanced’ option category ->
• Set the checkbox labeled ‘Disable Overlay’ to checked. 

Solution #7: You’re Touching Outside the Popup #

Sometimes, the simplest solution is the correct one.