This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable show pop-up descriptions for folder and desktop items for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
When you hover over a file, folder, drive, or desktop items in Windows, a pop-up description (infotip) will show displaying basic property details (metadata) of the item such as Date created, Size, Folders and Files a folder contains, etc...
Contents
- Option One: Enable or Disable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items in Folder Options
- Option Two: Enable or Disable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items using REG file
- Option Three: Enable or Disable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items in Registry Editor
EXAMPLE: Pop-up description (infotip) for folder and desktop items
1 Open Folder Options.
2 Click/tap on the View tab. (see screenshot below)
3 Check (enable - default) or uncheck (disable) Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items for what you want.
4 Click/tap on OK.
This option will not work when Administrator protection is turned on.
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
2 Enable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Enable_pop-up_descriptions_for_folder_and_desktop_items.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowInfoTip"=dword:000000013 Disable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Disable_pop-up_descriptions_for_folder_and_desktop_items.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"ShowInfoTip"=dword:000000004 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
Enable or Disable Show Pop-up Description for Folder and Desktop Items in Registry Editor
1 Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2 Navigate to the key location below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below step 3)
HKEY_USERS\<SID>\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Substitute <SID> in the key path above with the actual SID for the account you want to apply this to.
For example:
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2498639629-3946114050-4100787084-1001\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
3 In the right pane of the Advanced key, double click/tap on the ShowInfoTip DWORD to modify it. (see screenshot below)
4 Enter 0 (disable) or 1 (enable - default) for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
5 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
6 You can now close Registry Editor if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
