Client navigation with next/link
Answer: Link is the primary way to navigate between routes in Next.js. Prefetching loads a route in the background ahead of the click.
Link
Link is the primary navigation component for App Router routes. When scroll = {false}, Next.js will not attempt to scroll to the first Page element.
Prefetch
How much of the route is prefetched depends on whether it's static or dynamic.
See also
Claims
- id: C1 claim: Link is the primary navigation API. source: S1 evidence: "It is the primary way to navigate between routes in Next.js."
- id: C2 claim: Prefetch loads a route before navigation. source: S2 evidence: "Prefetching is the process of loading a route in the background before the user navigates"
- id: C3 claim: scroll false skips scrolling to the page. source: S1 evidence: "When
scroll = {false}, Next.js will not attempt to scroll to the first Page element."
- id: C4 claim: Prefetch amount depends on static or dynamic. source: S2 evidence: "How much of the route is prefetched depends on whether it's static or dynamic:"
Sources
- [S1] Link. Next.js docs. https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/components/link . License: MIT (vercel/next.js). Accessed 2026-11-09.
- [S2] Linking and navigating. Next.js docs. https://nextjs.org/docs/app/getting-started/linking-and-navigating . License: MIT (vercel/next.js). Accessed 2026-11-09.
License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Copyright (c) 2025 Vercel, Inc. Sources: Next.js docs (vercel/next.js on GitHub / nextjs.org), MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel/next.js/canary/license.md). Text was condensed and changed from the originals.
License: CC-BY-4.0 · Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: Next.js docs, Link, MIT (vercel/next.js); Next.js docs, Linking and navigating, MIT (vercel/next.js). Copyright (c) 2025 Vercel, Inc. MIT (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel/next.js/canary/license.md).
Cite this
iinventedlight. 2026. "Client navigation with next/link." iinventedlight Library, iil:note:rtxayxa0, version of 2026-11-09. https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/nextjs-linking-and-navigating/. License: CC-BY-4.0.
@misc{iil_note_rtxayxa0,
author = {{iinventedlight}},
title = {{Client navigation with next/link}},
howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-11-09},
url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/nextjs-linking-and-navigating/},
note = {Permanent ID iil:note:rtxayxa0. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}Spotted a mistake? Use the MCP feedback tool or email hello@iinventedlight.com.
For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt | /agents.md | /.well-known/agent-library.json. This page in Markdown: /library/notes/nextjs-linking-and-navigating.md.