Editing Tooltip (section)

{{short description|Graphical user interface element}}
{{Redirect|Tooltips|information on tooltips in Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Tooltip|selfref=yes}}
{{confused|Tipped tool}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2020}}
[[File:HTML tooltip.png|thumb|400px|A web browser tooltip displayed for hyperlink to [[HTML]], showing what the abbreviation stands for.]]

The '''tooltip''', also known as '''infotip''' or '''hint''', is a common [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) element in which, when [[hoverbox|hovering]] over a screen element or component, a text box displays information about that element, such as a description of a button's function, what an abbreviation stands for, or the exact absolute [[time stamp]] over a relative time ("… ago"). In common practice, the tooltip is displayed continuously as long as the user hovers over the element or the text box provided by the tool.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://material.io/components/tooltips |title = Material Design}}</ref> It is sometimes possible for the mouse to hover within the text box provided to activate a nested tooltip, and this can continue to any depth, often with multiple text boxes overlapped.<!-- this is common on Wikipedia if you activate the right setting -->

On desktop, it is used in conjunction with a [[cursor (user interface)|cursor]], usually a [[pointer (user interface)|pointer]], whereby the tooltip appears when a user [[mouseover|hovers the pointer]] over an item without clicking it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.techterms.com/definition/tooltip|title=Tooltip Definition|publisher=TechTerms.com|access-date=13 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/Controls/tooltip-controls|title=About Tooltip Controls - Windows applications|website=Microsoft Docs|date=21 August 2020 }}</ref>

[[File:Mobile_URL_tooltip.png|thumb|URL tooltip in ''Kiwi Browser'', a [[Chromium (web browser)|Chromium]] derivative, revealed with the stylus on a [[Samsung Galaxy Note 4]].]]
On touch-screen devices, a tooltip is displayed upon long-pressing—i.e., tapping and holding—an element.<ref name=":0" /> Some smartphones have [[Smartphones#Alternative input methods|alternative input methods]] such as a [[stylus (computing)|stylus]], which can show tooltips when hovering above the screen.

A common variant of tooltips, especially in older software, is displaying a description of the tool in a [[status bar]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} [[Microsoft]]'s tooltips feature found in its [[End user|end-user]] documentation is named '''ScreenTips'''.<ref>"[https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/show-or-hide-screentips-72d92d6a-6d2a-40fd-9ac2-fb9413ffce18 Show or hide ScreenTips]." ''Microsoft Support''. Retrieved 2020 December 13.</ref> [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] tooltips feature found in its [[Developer (software)|developer]] documentation is named '''help tags'''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Help - User Interaction - macOS - Human Interface Guidelines - Apple Developer|url=https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/macos/user-interaction/help/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=developer.apple.com}}</ref> The [[Classic Mac OS]] uses a tooltips feature, though in a slightly different way, known as [[balloon help]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/balloon-help |title = Definition of balloon help {{!}} PCMag}}</ref> Some software and applications, such as [[GIMP]], provide an option for users to turn off some or all tooltips. However, such options are left to the discretion of the developer, and are often not implemented.<ref>{{cite web |title=22 Tooltip Examples That Boost User Engagement |url=https://userguiding.com/es/blog/tooltips-ejemplos/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=UserGuiding |language=es}}</ref>