IntersectionObserver

Baseline Widely available *

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since March 2019.

* Some parts of this feature may have varying levels of support.

The IntersectionObserver interface of the Intersection Observer API provides a way to asynchronously observe changes in the intersection of a target element with an ancestor element or with a top-level document's viewport. The ancestor element or viewport is referred to as the root.

When an IntersectionObserver is created, it's configured to watch for given ratios of visibility within the root. The configuration cannot be changed once the IntersectionObserver is created, so a given observer object is only useful for watching for specific changes in degree of visibility; however, you can watch multiple target elements with the same observer.

Constructor

IntersectionObserver()

Creates a new IntersectionObserver object which will execute a specified callback function when it detects that a target element's visibility has crossed one or more thresholds.

Instance properties

IntersectionObserver.delay Read only

An integer indicating the minimum delay between notifications from this observer.

IntersectionObserver.root Read only

The Element or Document whose bounds are used as the bounding box when testing for intersection. If no root value was passed to the constructor or its value is null, the top-level document's viewport is used.

IntersectionObserver.rootMargin Read only

An offset rectangle applied to the root's bounding box when calculating intersections, effectively shrinking or growing the root for calculation purposes. The value returned by this property may not be the same as the one specified when calling the constructor as it may be changed to match internal requirements. Each offset can be expressed in pixels (px) or percentages (%). The default is "0px 0px 0px 0px".

IntersectionObserver.scrollMargin Read only

An offset rectangle applied to each scroll container on the path from intersection root to target, effectively shrinking or growing the clip rectangles used to calculate intersections. The value returned by this property may not be the same as the one specified when calling the constructor.

IntersectionObserver.thresholds Read only

A list of thresholds, sorted in increasing numeric order, where each threshold is a ratio of intersection area to bounding box area of an observed target. Notifications for a target are generated when any of the thresholds are crossed for that target. If no value was passed to the constructor, 0 is used.

IntersectionObserver.trackVisibility Read only

A boolean indicating whether this IntersectionObserver is checking that the target does not have compromised visibility.

Instance methods

IntersectionObserver.disconnect()

Stops the IntersectionObserver object from observing any target.

IntersectionObserver.observe()

Tells the IntersectionObserver a target element to observe.

IntersectionObserver.takeRecords()

Returns an array of IntersectionObserverEntry objects for all observed targets.

IntersectionObserver.unobserve()

Tells the IntersectionObserver to stop observing a particular target element.

Examples

js
const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver((entries) => {
  // If intersectionRatio is 0, the target is out of view
  // and we do not need to do anything.
  if (entries[0].intersectionRatio <= 0) return;

  loadItems(10);
  console.log("Loaded new items");
});
// start observing
intersectionObserver.observe(document.querySelector(".scrollerFooter"));

Specifications

Specification
Intersection Observer
# intersection-observer-interface

Browser compatibility

desktop mobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
IntersectionObserver
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
IntersectionObserver() constructor
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote
footnote Before version 96, the constructor throws a DOMException if the options.rootMargin option is passed an empty string (see bug 1738791).
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
options.root parameter can be a Document
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 81 (Release date: 2020-04-07)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 81 (Release date: 2020-04-13)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 76 (Release date: 2020-05-05)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 68 (Release date: 2020-04-22)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 14 (Release date: 2020-09-16)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 81 (Release date: 2020-04-07)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 79 (Release date: 2020-07-28)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 58 (Release date: 2020-05-13)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 14 (Release date: 2020-09-16)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 13 (Release date: 2020-12-02)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 81 (Release date: 2020-04-07)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 14 (Release date: 2020-09-16)
footnote Full support
delay
Experimental
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 74 (Release date: 2019-04-23)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 79 (Release date: 2020-01-15)
footnote Full support
Firefox – No support
Firefox
footnote No support
Opera – Full support
Opera 62 (Release date: 2019-06-27)
footnote Full support
Safari – No support
Safari
footnote No support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 74 (Release date: 2019-04-24)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – No support
Firefox for Android
footnote No support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 53 (Release date: 2019-07-11)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – No support
Safari on iOS
footnote No support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 11 (Release date: 2019-12-05)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 74 (Release date: 2019-04-24)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – No support
WebView on iOS
footnote No support
disconnect
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote
footnote Available since Windows Insider Preview Build 14986.
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
observe
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
root
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
rootMargin
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote
footnote rootMargin does not work with <iframe>s.
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote
footnote rootMargin does not work with <iframe>s.
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote
footnote rootMargin does not work with <iframe>s.
scrollMargin
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 120 (Release date: 2023-12-05)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 120 (Release date: 2023-12-07)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 141 (Release date: 2025-07-22)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 106 (Release date: 2023-12-19)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 26 (Release date: 2025-09-15)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 120 (Release date: 2023-12-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 141 (Release date: 2025-07-22)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 80 (Release date: 2024-01-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 26 (Release date: 2025-09-15)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 25 (Release date: 2024-04-24)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 120 (Release date: 2023-12-05)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 26 (Release date: 2025-09-15)
footnote Full support
takeRecords
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote
footnote Available since Windows Insider Preview Build 14986.
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
thresholds
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 52 (Release date: 2016-07-20)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Full support
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 39 (Release date: 2016-08-02)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 52 (Release date: 2016-07-27)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 6 (Release date: 2017-08-23)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 52 (Release date: 2016-07-27)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
trackVisibility
Experimental
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 74 (Release date: 2019-04-23)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 79 (Release date: 2020-01-15)
footnote Full support
Firefox – No support
Firefox
footnote No support
Opera – Full support
Opera 62 (Release date: 2019-06-27)
footnote Full support
Safari – No support
Safari
footnote No support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 74 (Release date: 2019-04-24)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – No support
Firefox for Android
footnote No support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 53 (Release date: 2019-07-11)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – No support
Safari on iOS
footnote No support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 11 (Release date: 2019-12-05)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 74 (Release date: 2019-04-24)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – No support
WebView on iOS
footnote No support
unobserve
Chrome – Full support
Chrome 51 (Release date: 2016-05-25)
footnote Full support
Edge – Full support
Edge 15 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote
footnote Available since Windows Insider Preview Build 14986.
Firefox – Full support
Firefox 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera – Full support
Opera 38 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Safari – Full support
Safari 12.1 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Chrome Android – Full support
Chrome Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
Firefox for Android – Full support
Firefox for Android 55 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Full support
Opera Android – Full support
Opera Android 41 (Release date: 2016-10-25)
footnote Full support
Safari on iOS – Full support
Safari on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 5 (Release date: 2016-12-15)
footnote Full support
WebView Android – Full support
WebView Android 51 (Release date: 2016-06-08)
footnote Full support
WebView on iOS – Full support
WebView on iOS 12.2 (Release date: 2019-03-25)
footnote Full support

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
No support
No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
See implementation notes.

See also