Power BI tooltips: extra detail on hover, without extra clutter
Power BI tooltips show extra information when a reader hovers over a data point in a visual. The default version lists the fields in the visual and their values. Authors can add more fields, turn the list into a sentence or replace it with a small report page. This guide explains each type, the steps to build a page tooltip and the limits that Microsoft documents. In short, default tooltips need no setup, while a report page tooltip needs a page marked for use as a tooltip and then picked in the visual's settings.
- Default and page tooltips
- Setup in four steps
- Limits worth knowing
Last updated
What do Power BI tooltips show by default?
Hover over a bar, and a small box appears. By default it shows the field name and value for each field in the visual. So a reader sees the exact figure without squinting at an axis.
Authors can extend that box. The Build visual pane has a Tooltip field well, and any field you drag there appears on hover. The chart itself does not change. You can also pick an aggregation for each added field, such as sum, average or count.
Supported visuals can also show drill actions in a footer. Then a reader can drill down, drill up or drill through from the hover box instead of using a right-click menu.
Three ways to shape what a reader sees on hover
Microsoft documents several options under the Tooltips settings of a visual, and these three cover most needs.
Tooltip fields only
This option hides the visual's own fields and shows only the ones you added. As a result, the box stays short and focused.
Sentence format
You write a template that mixes plain text with field names in curly braces. Power BI then fills in the values for the hovered point.
Report page tooltip
A small report page replaces the default box. It can hold cards, charts and images, so it suits richer context.
Build report page Power BI tooltips in four steps
The steps below follow Microsoft's article, though it also warns that option locations can change between Desktop versions.
Create a small page
First add a new report page. Then, in the Format pane, open the canvas settings and choose the Tooltip page size.
Add compact visuals
Next place a few visuals on it, such as two cards and one small chart. Switch the page view to actual size to judge the result.
Mark it as a tooltip
Then open the Page information card and turn the tooltip setting on. Give the page a clear name as well.
Assign the fields
Finally drag the fields that should trigger it into Tooltip fields. Visuals that use those fields then show the page on hover.
How do you control which tooltip a visual uses?
Sometimes two fields in one visual each have a tooltip page. Power BI then selects only one to show. However, you can decide for yourself. Every visual that supports page tooltips has a Tooltips card in its format settings.
In that card, pick the page you want from the Page dropdown. Only pages marked as tooltips appear in the list. To return to the automatic choice, select Auto instead.
You can also switch hover details off for a single visual. Still, note one documented quirk. When someone pins that visual to a dashboard, the basic tooltip appears there anyway.
Which limits of Power BI tooltips matter in practice?
Page tooltips are not interactive. Readers cannot select a slicer inside one, tab through it or scroll. So design the page to show everything at once. If readers need to interact with the filtered data, Microsoft suggests a drillthrough page instead.
Accessibility also needs thought. Microsoft states that screen readers cannot read page tooltip content for a data point. Therefore never hide essential figures only in a hover box.
Other limits are narrower. Dashboards do not support report page tooltips, and Python and R visuals do not appear in them. Tables and matrices show the cell value on hover, but they have no Tooltip field well.
Design habits for hover details that readers trust
A hover box has little space, so every item in it must earn its place.
- Show figures that explain the data point, not repeat it
- Keep a page tooltip to a few small visuals
- Use clear field names, since they appear as labels
- Avoid slicers and buttons on a tooltip page
- Limit the number of added fields, or the font shrinks
- Style the box through the report theme for consistency
Power BI tooltips: questions from report authors
Why does my Power BI tooltip page show up blank?
Microsoft gives a short checklist for this. The page must contain visuals, and the tooltip setting must be on in Page information. Also add fields to Tooltip fields, and make sure the visuals on the page reference those fields. After that, hover over a visual that uses one of them.
Do tooltips in Power BI work on line charts?
Yes, with one documented behavior. A page tooltip on a line chart shows a single box for all lines, not one per line. The legend field does not filter it either. So the box shows totals across every series for that point on the axis.
Can I write a tooltip as a sentence?
Yes. Turn on the sentence format option under the Tooltips settings, then enter a template. Wrap each field name in curly braces, and Power BI swaps in the value for the hovered point. If a name does not match, the text appears exactly as typed, so check the spelling.
Can one style apply to every Power BI tooltip in a report?
Yes. Hover boxes inherit colors from the report theme. In Desktop, the theme customization dialog has a Tooltip section for label, value and background colors. You can still override the theme on one visual through its own Tooltips settings when a page needs a different look.
Can Power BI Agency add page tooltips to our reports?
Yes. One of our consultants works out which questions readers ask after they see a chart, then designs compact hover pages that answer them. We build online in your own Microsoft tenant and show the result in a weekly demo. Power BI Agency is a division of Sataware Technologies and independent of Microsoft.
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