Bug: <Link href="/"> no longer scrolls to top when navigating to same route

[Kaushik7984]

🐛 Bug: <Link href="/" /> does not scroll to top on same-route navigation

Description

In Next.js 14, clicking a <Link href="/" /> while already on the / route correctly scrolls the page back to the top.

After upgrading to Next.js 16.1.1, this behavior no longer works. The scroll position is preserved, and the page does not move to the top.

This appears to be a regression or an undocumented change in scroll restoration behavior.

---

Link to the code that reproduces this issue

https://github.com/Kaushik7984/scroll-bug-repro

To Reproduce

import Link from "next/link";

export default function Page() {
  return (
    <div>
      <div style={{ height: "200vh" }}>Scroll down</div>
      <Link href="/">Go Home</Link>
    </div>
  );
}

• Steps to reproduce:

1. Visit /
2. Scroll down
3. Click the Go Home link
4. Page does not scroll to top

Current vs. Expected behavior

Expected Behavior

Clicking a link pointing to the current route (e.g. <Link href="/" /> when already on /) should scroll the page to the top, matching the behavior in Next.js 14.

---

Actual Behavior

In Next.js 16.1.1:

• Clicking <Link href="/" /> while already on /
• Does not scroll to the top
• Scroll position remains unchanged

Provide environment information

### Environment

- **Next.js version:** 16.1.1
- **React version:** 19.2.3
- **React DOM version:** 19.2.3
- **Router:** App Router
- **Node.js:** 20.x
- **Package manager:** pnpm
- **OS:** Windows 11
- **Browser:** Chrome

---

### `package.json`


{
  "name": "scroll-bug-repro",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "next dev",
    "build": "next build",
    "start": "next start",
    "lint": "eslint"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "next": "16.1.1",
    "react": "19.2.3",
    "react-dom": "19.2.3"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@tailwindcss/postcss": "^4",
    "@types/node": "^20",
    "@types/react": "^19",
    "@types/react-dom": "^19",
    "eslint": "^9",
    "eslint-config-next": "16.1.1",
    "tailwindcss": "^4",
    "typescript": "^5"
  }
}

Which area(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

Linking and Navigating

Which stage(s) are affected? (Select all that apply)

next dev (local)

Additional context

Additional Context

• This behavior worked correctly in Next.js 14 without any custom scroll handling.
• The issue occurs when navigating to the same route (/ → /) using <Link />.
• This is commonly needed for persistent navigation UIs such as:
  • Bottom navigation bars
  • Dock-style navigation
  • Fixed headers / footers
• The navigation component remains mounted between navigations.
• Setting scroll={true} on <Link /> does not restore the previous behavior.
• Manually calling window.scrollTo(0, 0) resolves the issue but feels like a workaround.
• No related breaking change or migration note was found in the Next.js 15/16 documentation.

This makes it difficult to implement expected UX patterns where re-clicking the active route should reset scroll position.

[CaarLo1337]

Yes, the change you’re seeing is intentional behavior of the Next.js App Router.
When navigations are performed client-side (soft navigation), Next.js aims to preserve browser state including scroll position, and doesn’t treat navigation to the same URL as a new route that should reset scroll.
https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/components/link#scroll

Why it feels like a regression:
Because older Next.js versions or different router internals often did reset scroll when navigating via , even to the same route, while the newer App Router does not guarantee that anymore.
Also, Next.js no longer overrides CSS scroll behavior by default (see v16 changes). https://nextjs.org/docs/app/guides/upgrading/version-16#scroll-behavior-override

If you do want the old behavior

Next.js documentation suggests using:

<Link href="/" scroll={true}>Go Home</Link>

…but note this still may not reset scroll if the router considers the route unchanged. So a more reliable workaround is:

router.push("/", { scroll: true })

[Chibuike-web]

It is also present in the 16.1.0 . Setting scroll to true does not work too. If it is an intended behaviour (which I think it is based on my research), it should be properly documented

[Kuldeep-Rathod]

I was able to reproduce this issue in Next.js 16.1.1.

When navigating to the same route (/ → /) using router.push("/", { scroll: true }), the scroll position is preserved and the page does not scroll to the top, even with scroll: true.

If this behavior is intentional in the App Router, it would be helpful to document that same-route navigations do not reset scroll position and that the scroll option does not override this behavior.

Manually calling window.scrollTo(0, 0) works, but requires explicit handling for a commonly expected navigation behavior.