Smooth vertical & scrolling in Canvas

Smooth vertical & horizontal scrolling in Canvas

This issue is similar to the mousewheel zoom smoothing request, but this FR addresses vertical/horizontal nav rather than zooming.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open any Canvas file in Obsidian
  2. Try scrolling vertically or horizontally using the mouse wheel
  3. Compare this with:
    • Dragging the canvas with mouse (smooth movement)
    • Scrolling in regular markdown files (smooth movement)
    • Using trackpad gestures (smooth movement)

Did you follow the troubleshooting guide?

Yes. Tested with default settings and no plugins.

Expected result

Canvas should scroll smoothly with the mouse wheel, similar to:

  • How dragging the canvas works
  • How scrolling works in regular markdown files
  • How modern web browsers handle scrolling

Actual result

Scrolling is “staccato” or stepped, strictly adhering to the system’s “lines to scroll” setting. Each scroll wheel movement causes an abrupt jump rather than a smooth transition, making navigation feel jarring and potentially causing motion discomfort.

Environment

  • Obsidian version: 1.7.7
  • Operating system: MacOS Sonoma, Windows 10
  • Using custom CSS: No
  • Using custom theme: No
  • Using any relevant plugins: No

Additional Notes

This issue is similar to the mousewheel zoom smoothing request, where users have reported that discrete stepping in Canvas navigation can be jarring and cause discomfort. While that request focuses on zoom behavior, this request addresses the parallel issue with scrolling movement.

renamed the FR you linked to be more broad. Please post in that thread.