By default, Windows displays Tooltips and Infortips which are collectively described as tips. These are small pop-up windows that concisely describe the object being pointed to, including command buttons, folders, and desktop items. Tooltips are used for File Explorer. When you hover your mouse over a folder or desktop item, it provides basic property details such as Date created, Size, Folders, and Files within the folders. This can come in handy when you want to know what is in a folder without opening it. It’s enabled by default in Windows 11. If you want to use it and it’s not available, you can use the steps below to turn it on. If you don’t want it, the steps also show you how to disable it.

Show or hide Pop-up descriptions for folder and desktop items via the file explorer folder option

As described above, Windows provides basic property details such as Date created, Size, Folders, and Files within the folders when you hover over an item. Here’s how to enable or disable it in Windows 11. First, open the File Explorer Folder Options. Open File Explorer or use the keyboard shortcut (Windows key + E), then click the Options button (3 dots) on the menu bar. On the File Explorer Folder Options window, under the View tab, Check or uncheck the box next to “Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items” to enable or disable the feature.

Turn on or off show pop-up description for folder and desktop items via the registry editor

Another way to show or hide pop-up descriptions for folder and desktop items is to use the Windows Registry editor. Open the Windows Registry, and navigate to the folder key path as listed below. If you don’t see the Advanced folder key, right-click on the Explorer parent key, then create the subkey (Advanced) folder key. On the right pane of the Advanced folder key, right-click and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type a new key named ShowInfoTip. Double-click the new value name (ShowInfoTip) and enter the Value data of 1 to show a pop-up description for folder and desktop items. A Value data of 0 will hide a pop-up description for folder and desktop items. That should do it! Log out and back in or restart for the changes to apply. Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/uxguide/ctrl-tooltips-and-infotips Conclusion: This post showed you how to enable or disable pop-description for folder and desktop items in Windows 11. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.