Navigation Issue in ArcGIS StoryMaps – Sections Skipping or Not Opening

[HajarAlqayoudhi]

Hello,
I’m experiencing a recurring issue while using ArcGIS StoryMaps. When I navigate between sections—either by clicking navigation links or scrolling—it sometimes jumps to the wrong section, or doesn’t open the intended section at all.

This happens inconsistently, but often enough to affect the user experience.
Has anyone else encountered this issue?
Is there a fix or workaround to improve section navigation behavior?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

@HajarAlqayoudhi - I'm sorry you are experiencing a problem with the navigation links in your story. We aren't able to reproduce the issue you've described, but if your story is public and you can provide a link to it we are happy to take a closer look.

One thing you can check is whether you have any embeds in your story that may be causing this. Sometimes embedded content can hijack the page focus and cause it to jump to a specific spot. Unfortunately, there's nothing the story can do to prevent this, but you can remove the content or include it as a link (or embed card) instead so readers can open it in a new browser tab.

If you are not able to share your story here, please contact Esri Support and they can help you troubleshoot.

[HajarAlqayoudhi]

Hi OwenGeo

Yes, I do have embeds in all sections of the StoryMap 😞 That might be what’s causing the issue.

I’m now trying to move the embeds outside the sidebar—I'll test the application and hopefully that will resolve it. 🤞 Thanks so much for pointing that out!

[Faiez]

Hi!

You have to rearrange the headings again, if you have created headings for your embedded block content. The headings sometines move forward and backward. 

Have a look on this StoryMaps, if it can help you to descripes your StoryMaps problem.