---
title: Tooltips
pubDate: 2026-08-17T09:53:44.266Z
antora:
  editUrl: https://github.com/couchbaselabs/docs-style-guide/edit/main/ui-ux/modules/ROOT/pages/tooltips.adoc
  xref: xref:ui-ux::tooltips.adoc[]
---

[Consult the llms.txt file for a full list of contents](/llms.txt)
[View original HTML](/ui-ux/tooltips.html)

# Tooltips

A tooltip appears when a user points to something in the UI, but doesn't click.

A tooltip can come in two styles:

1. They can provide information about an unlabelled icon.
2. They can provide additional information or instruction:

  1. Text that was too long to fit in the UI.
  2. A link to documentation for further reading or instructions.

## [](#do-not-overuse-tooltips)Do Not Overuse Tooltips

Tooltip overuse can cause a user to ignore tooltips in the UI.

Do not use a tooltip just to keep [instruction text](instruction-text.md) off of the screen.

## [](#keep-to-critical-information)Keep to Critical Information

Keep tooltips as short as possible and only include the most critical information.

If you need to, include a link for the user so they can read and [learn more](documentation-links.md).