Disable Pull to Refresh in Chrome for Android

Pull-to-refresh is a handy gesture on many apps, but in Chrome for Android it can cause accidental page reloads while you’re scrolling, especially on long pages or when you’re trying to select text. This guide shows you how to turn off this gesture using Chrome’s built-in flags, which gives you a more stable browsing experience. You’ll need a recent version of Chrome for Android (most versions from the last few years support this).

What You’ll Need

Chrome browser installed on your Android device (version 90 or newer is recommended).
About 2 minutes of time.

Step-by-Step

Open Chrome on your Android device. Make sure you’re using the stable version from the Play Store. If you’re using a beta or dev version, the steps are the same but the flag may behave slightly differently.
Type the flags address into the address bar. Tap the address bar at the top of the screen and type chrome://flags (without spaces). Press Enter or tap the arrow icon on the keyboard.
Accept the warning (if prompted). Chrome will show a warning that these experimental features can be risky. Tap Continue or Accept to proceed. You’re not changing anything risky—just a gesture setting—but Chrome always shows this warning.
Find the pull-to-refresh flag. In the search box at the top of the flags page, type pull-to-refresh or pull. You should see a flag called Pull-to-refresh gesture or Pull-to-refresh (the exact name may vary slightly by Chrome version).
Change the flag setting. Tap the drop-down menu next to the flag. It’s usually set to Default or Enabled. Change it to Disabled.
Relaunch Chrome. After changing the flag, you’ll see a blue Relaunch button at the bottom of the screen. Tap it. Chrome will close and reopen automatically. Your tabs and browsing session will be restored.
Test the change. After Chrome reopens, go to any webpage and try to pull down from the top of the screen. The page should no longer refresh. If it still refreshes, you may need to also disable a related flag called Overscroll history navigation (see Troubleshooting below).

Common Mistakes

Not relaunching Chrome. The flag won’t take effect until you tap the Relaunch button. Simply closing and reopening Chrome from the app switcher may not apply the change.
Typing the wrong address. Make sure you type chrome://flags exactly. If you type chrome://flags/ with a slash, it still works, but avoid typos like chrom://flags.
Disabling the wrong flag. There are several flags with similar names. Make sure you’re changing Pull-to-refresh gesture, not Overscroll history navigation (which controls swipe-from-edge to go back/forward).
Expecting it to work on all sites. Some websites have their own pull-to-refresh scripts (like Twitter or Google Maps). The Chrome flag only disables the browser’s built-in gesture, not website-specific ones.

Tips

Use the search box on the flags page. Instead of scrolling through the long list, type “pull” in the search box to quickly find the flag.
Keep a note of the default setting. If you ever want to revert, just go back to the flag and set it back to Default or Enabled.
Consider disabling overscroll history navigation too. If you often accidentally trigger the back/forward swipe when trying to scroll, you can disable that flag as well (it’s right next to the pull-to-refresh flag).
Use Chrome’s “Desktop site” option for heavy scrolling. On pages where you need to scroll a lot, switching to desktop view can reduce accidental refreshes because the layout is different.
Update Chrome regularly. Flags can change with new versions. If you update Chrome and notice pull-to-refresh is back, you may need to reapply the flag.

Troubleshooting

Pull-to-refresh still works after disabling the flag. This can happen if:

You didn’t relaunch Chrome properly. Go back to chrome://flags, confirm the flag is set to Disabled, and tap Relaunch again.
You’re using a website that has its own pull-to-refresh script (like a web app). The Chrome flag only affects the browser’s built-in gesture.
You’re on a Chrome version that doesn’t support this flag (very old or very new). Try updating Chrome to the latest version from the Play Store.

Chrome crashes after changing the flag. This is rare, but if it happens, go back to chrome://flags (you may need to do this quickly before Chrome crashes again) and set the flag back to Default. If Chrome crashes before you can change it, clear Chrome’s app data (Settings > Apps > Chrome > Storage > Clear Data) – this will reset all flags but also clear your browsing data.

The flag doesn’t appear in the list. Some Chrome versions have removed this flag entirely. If you can’t find it, you can try using Chrome’s Accessibility settings to enable “Force enable zoom” or other options that might change the gesture behavior, but the most reliable alternative is to use a different browser (like Firefox) that allows you to disable pull-to-refresh in its settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling this flag affect my browsing speed?

No, it only disables the gesture. It won’t affect page loading speed or any other functionality.

Can I re-enable pull-to-refresh later?

Yes, simply go back to chrome://flags, change the flag back to Enabled or Default, and relaunch Chrome.

Does this work on Chrome for iOS?

No, this method is only for Android. iOS does not have the same flags system.

Will this prevent websites from refreshing when I pull down?

No, it only disables the browser’s built-in gesture. Some websites (like Google Maps) have their own pull-to-refresh code that will still work.

Is it safe to use Chrome flags?

Chrome flags are experimental features that are generally safe to toggle, but they can cause issues if misused. This particular flag is low-risk and widely used. If you experience problems, you can always revert.

Do I need to be rooted or have special permissions?

No, this works on any Android device, rooted or not. You just need to be able to type in the address bar.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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