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Tooltip

Small label that appears on hover or focus to describe an element.

Variants

Tooltips support four placements. Choose the one that avoids clipping and keeps the trigger visible.

VariantPurpose
TopDefault placement. Works well for icon buttons and inline controls.
BottomUse when the trigger is near the top of the viewport.
LeftUse for triggers against a right edge (e.g. action columns).
RightUse for triggers against a left edge (e.g. sidebar controls).

Design tokens

TokenValueDescription
tooltip/background
#3b3b3d
Tooltip background
tooltip/text
#ffffff
Tooltip label text
radius/xs
4px
Corner radius
shadow/sm
0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.12)
Elevation shadow

Guidelines

Do
  • Keep labels to one short line, under 60 characters
  • Use on icon-only buttons and truncated text
  • Show on both hover and keyboard focus
  • Place where the tooltip doesn't obscure related content
Don't
  • Put interactive elements inside a tooltip
  • Use tooltips to hide critical information
  • Show tooltips on disabled elements without a visible label
  • Repeat the trigger's visible label verbatim