XP: Turn Off Pop-Up Balloons and Descriptions

Contributor Icon Contributed by MickeyMouse Date Icon August 31, 2004  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

Little balloon pop up everywhere in XP telling you information. If these annoy you, turn them off. Here’s how.


‘Tis easy to turn off the pop-up balloons in XP:

    1. Goto Control Panel
    2. Click Folder Options (in the classic view)
    3. Click the View tab
    4. Unselect the Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items option
    5. Click OK
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  • mbills2
    MickeyMouse's solution didn't work for me. I was looking for the balloon tips in XP in the notification area (lower right corner where the time shows up by default).

    1. I found the solution by entering searching "turn off balloon tips" on Microsoft's website (www.microsoft.com).
    2. The url it gave me for the solution: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307729
    3. Click the "Fix it for me" button and the wizard will do the rest.
    4. Reboot.

    Now notifications are turned off.
  • mbills2
    Also I'd like to add that you don't have to go into control panel for MickeyMouse's solution. Simply click on My Computer/Tools/Folder Options.
  • mbills2
    This works in Vista also.
  • Anonymous
    I found several keys ending in tips that I set to zero,
    to get rid of tips. Some had larger values.
    enableballoontips did nothing, this old xphome had several
    keys ending in tips, that were zeroed out and this had the desired effect of getting rid of a balloon every time one moused through a menu or explorer file list. Could not see behind it.
    These were in reg keys current user sofware micrsoft windows explorer advanced ending in tips.
    Much different than in xp pro.xppro had a tweakUI that would take care of some balloons. This old XP Home SP2 doesnt have that in tweakUI.
    Backup previous key branches by exporting that key before changing.

    Export, and give it an appropriate file name.
    Clicking the reg file will bring back the old values as will sys restore.
    System restore may only be useful if its enabled.
    There are numerous places in registry under other programs that
    have keys ending in 'tips', this is what controls various balloons.
    Note: The word balloons only appears in some of these keys.
    The word tips appears in all of them.
  • Anonymous
    Thank-you!!!!!

    Had this laptop five months and the balloon tips have been driving me mad. At last a solution.....
  • Anonymous
    Thank You !!!!
  • abraham@suscom.net
    :D Thanks, you rock..
  • Anonymous
    I turned off "Balloon Tips" on my laptop as it was constantly and annoyingly telling me when a WiFi connection was on and off...

    I used PowerToys for XP TweakUI -> Taskbar -> [ ] Enable balloon tips
    http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/po...

    Much better with it off!

    Also with PowerToys I prefer:
    removing "Shortcut to" on created shortcuts
  • Anonymous
    <font color="red">This only works for the desk top items!!
    Everything else still has balloons popping up.</font>
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