Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “How does prefetch work in Next.js?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**Prefetch in Next.js** is a **background preload of the next page's resources** (JS + data), so that navigation on click is nearly instant. **Key point:** while the user looks at the page, Next.js is preparing the next one.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**Prefetch in Next.js** is a **background preload of the next page's resources** (JS + data), so that navigation on click is nearly instant. Put simply: > **While the user looks at the page, Next.js is preparing the next one.** --- ## How it works step by step 1. You render a link: ```tsx <Link href="/blog">Blog</Link> ``` 2. When the link **enters the viewport** (the visible part of the screen) 3. Next.js, **in the background**: - loads the JS bundle of the target route - requests data (if needed) 4. The user clicks -> the transition happens **without waiting on the network** --- ## What exactly gets prefetched - the page's **JS code** (code splitting) - **RSC payload / data** for Server Components - **no** navigation is performed - **no** page is rendered in advance --- ## When prefetch is enabled - By default - **for** `<Link />` - Only for **internal links** - Only when: - the link is in the viewport - the connection is normal (not Save-Data) - the browser is not in power-saving mode --- ## When prefetch doesn't work - a plain `<a href>` - external links - if `prefetch={false}` - if the page strictly requires data per request (`no-store`) --- ## How to control prefetch ### Disable it ```tsx <Link href="/blog" prefetch={false}> Blog </Link> ``` ### Programmatic navigation ```ts router.prefetch('/blog') ``` --- ## Prefetch and rendering types | Rendering | Prefetch | |---|---| | SSG | HTML + data | | ISR | up-to-date version | | SSR | payload only (rendered on navigation) | --- ## Why it matters - instant transitions - lower TTFB on click - a "native app" feelFor the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.