Tooltip

Tooltips are containers that temporarily display short, contextual text. They are typically activated when a user hovers over an icon or other trigger.

Status

Figma UI Kit	PublishedElement can be used in production
Vanilla	PublishedElement can be used in production
Angular	PublishedElement can be used in production
React	In backlogElement is in backlog
Documentation	In progressElement design and development in progress

What's new

The v2 tooltip was redesigned to meet accessibility requirements and address mobile experiences. It also incorporates the updated foundations, including the new font ramp and color palette.

When to use

Tooltip is similar to popover but is not used for the same purpose. Identifying the right use case will make the experience clear for all users, particularly for those with cognitive and learning disabilities, or those using screen readers.

Component	Use case
Tooltip	Tooltip is a container that temporarily displays short, contextual text and is activated when a user hovers or focuses on an icon or other trigger.
Popover	Popover is a container that displays supplemental information after pressing its trigger element. They can contain limited interactions with its content, but should not contain actions that are required for the experience.

Anatomy

A tooltip with parts labelled 1 and 2. — Body text: provides user with additional information.

Pointer: directs user’s attention to the source element that triggered the tooltip.

Kinds

Options

Image of a tooltip with body content only. — Body content only: Used for expanding truncated information, acronym or initialism definitions, or other supplemental content.

A tooltip with a title and body content. — Title and body content: Used for concise, non-essential definitions or summaries.

Articles

Read the Nielsen Norman Group's guidance.

Visit the NN/g website

Usage

Use tooltips for secondary or supplemental information. If the information is critical, place it on the page so that the user doesn’t miss it. Do not use tooltips to display error or status messages, long passages of text, images, or interactive content.

Form fields

Tooltips can be a source of additional context in form fields. Ideally, this content would be presented through the form component’s helper text and the tooltip will not be necessary. Do not repeat the helper text content in a tooltip.

An image of a form with a tooltip hovering over a field. — The trigger is often a button, icon, link, or a combination of elements.

Truncated content

Tooltip can be used to show the remainder of truncated information, such as the file name in the file input component.

An image of a tooltip hovering over a file name. — Tooltip can make space for nonessential content.

Layout

Alignment

Consider the page elements when choosing the default position of a tooltip. Note that constraints, such as screen size, will override the default positioning to ensure the tooltip is always within the viewport. For example, a tooltip with a bottom-start selection will automatically flip to top-start placement if there is not enough room on the screen below the trigger element. On S and XS breakpoints, the trigger element may not provide the opportunity to use one of the orientations of tooltip pointer. In this case, the tooltip is set to no pointer and positioned above the element.

Note that position and pointer are shown separately in Figma for easy scanning and selection. However, these are considered a single property, called “placement”, in Storybook documentation.

Position

Tooltips uses four positions in relation to the trigger element: bottom, top, left, and right. Make sure the direction and position of your tooltip doesn’t obscure information on the page that the tooltip content is directly related to.

Selection	Description
top	Above the trigger (default)
bottom	Below the trigger
left	To the left of the trigger
right	To the right of the trigger

Pointer

Tooltip has four pointer options: start, center, end, and no pointer. Center is the default pointer position. If the tooltip does not fit without being clipped by the side of the page, then it should dynamically pick a pointer orientation that fits in the space between the grid margins.

Selection	Description
Center	When tooltip is set to top, the pointer points down to the trigger (default).
Start	Top, or left in left-to-right localizations.
End	Bottom, or right in left-to-right localizations.
No pointer	Tooltip shown without a pointer.

Interaction

Behavior and states

Tooltips are activated upon focus state, or when a user hovers over a trigger element. To dismiss the tooltip, stop hovering or focusing the trigger element. Tooltips are always activated and dismissed by press on mobile. Mobile tooltips require a close icon to dismiss.

An image of a tooltip on mobile with a dismiss icon.

State	Behavior
Hover	Hovering on the trigger element activates the tooltip on desktop.
Focus (initial tab or press)	One tab focuses on the dismiss icon in desktop tooltips. A second tab exits the tooltip.

Standards

Accessibility

All tooltips should be able to be activated and dismissed via pointer, keyboard, and touch
Users should have full control of the tooltip interaction regardless of device. Do not cause the tooltip to disappear or timeout after a set interval.
WCAG 2.1: 1.4.13: Content on Hover or Focus

Avoid covering up critical content with a tooltip
As with popovers, make sure that the direction and placement of your tooltip doesn’t obscure information on the page that the tooltip content is directly related to.
WCAG 2.1: 1.4.13: Content on Hover or Focus

Tooltips should only contain static, text-based content to avoid additional interactivity
Tooltips are specifically for plain text-based content. If you require links, buttons or additional functionality in your tooltip, use a popover instead. Avoid rich text.

Avoid placing essential information in a tooltip
Tooltips should never hide critical information. Whenever possible, avoid using a tooltip altogether and place the information where it is visible at all times.

Tooltips should always describe the triggering element
Do not add a control that is specifically there to trigger a tooltip.

Content

Title
Be brief and descriptive about the purpose of the tooltip. The title length should not exceed one line.
Do: Help me choose
Don’t: Comparing Pentium-class versus Xeon-class processors

Body text
Content should be short and limited to supplemental descriptions that relates directly to a particular item or control on the page.

Capitalization
Use sentence case unless providing an explanation for an acronym or initialism.

Live demo

This demo lets you interact with the component and view the code. To see other interactive examples of this component or for additional developer documentation, visit Storybook.

You are now entering a live demo of the component.

<div>
  <p>
    Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum Lorem.
    <a href="javascript:void(0);" id="tootltip-trigger-923173934" class="dds__link--standalone" aria-describedby="tootltip-992562000">
      <span class="dds__sr-only">tooltip</span>
      <i class="dds__icon dds__icon--alert-info-cir"></i>
    </a>
  </p>
  <div id="tootltip-992562000" data-trigger="#tootltip-trigger-923173934" data-dds="tooltip" class="dds__tooltip" role="tooltip">
    <div class="dds__tooltip__body">
      <h6 class="dds__tooltip__title">Tooltip Title</h6>
      A few lines of body text in sentence case that are easily scannable and succinct.
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Copy code

View the tooltip demo and code in Vanilla.

Visit Storybook

View the tooltip demo and code in Angular.

Visit Storybook

Tooltip

Status

Contents

What's new

When to use

Anatomy

Kinds

Options

Articles

Tooltip guidelines

Contents

Contents

Usage

Form fields

Truncated content

Layout

Alignment

Position

Pointer

Interaction

Behavior and states

Standards

Accessibility

Content

Contents

Contents

Live demo

You are now entering a live demo of the component.

Vanilla

Angular

Contents

Tooltip

Status

Contents

What's newCopy link to this section

When to useCopy link to this section

AnatomyCopy link to this section

KindsCopy link to this section

Options

ArticlesCopy link to this section

Tooltip guidelines

Contents

What's new

When to use

Anatomy

Kinds

Articles