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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Yes—but not with CSS. Add title="..." to the table cell in HTML (or generate it with a server template or JavaScript). CSS can select and style cells that already have the attribute, but it cannot create or change HTML attributes.
Put the attribute on the <td> in HTML
title is a global HTML attribute, so it is valid on a table cell. The browser can expose its value as advisory information, commonly through a native tooltip when a pointer rests on the cell.
<table>
<tr>
<td title="More information about this value">Cell</td>
</tr>
</table>The value is also available through the DOM property HTMLElement.title.
What CSS can and cannot do
CSS can select cells with a title
An attribute selector targets cells whose markup already contains title:
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td[title] {
cursor: help;
border-bottom: 1px dotted currentColor;
}This changes presentation only. It does not add a title attribute or supply its text.
CSS cannot write an HTML attribute
CSS controls styles. It cannot modify the document’s HTML attributes or create a usable DOM value. Add or update the attribute in the original HTML, a server-side template, or JavaScript instead.
const cell = document.querySelector('td');
cell.title = 'More information about this value';Is a native title tooltip a good solution?
Only for supplementary advisory text. The HTML Standard describes title as information suitable for a tooltip, but warns that relying on it is discouraged because many user agents do not expose it accessibly. A pointer hover requirement excludes keyboard-only and touch-only users; assistive-technology and magnification workflows may also miss it.
- Do not put required instructions, critical warnings, or essential table data only in
title. - Keep important explanations visible in the page whenever possible.
- For additional information, use an explicitly operable control or an accessible description that works with keyboard, touch, and assistive technology.
Choose the implementation by the information’s purpose
| Approach | Semantic layer | Input support | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
td title="..." |
HTML advisory text | Most reliable on pointer hover; inconsistent elsewhere | Short, non-essential clarification |
| Visible text in the cell or nearby | HTML content | Available without hover | Important data or instructions |
| Accessible control with an associated description | HTML interaction and accessibility semantics | Can support keyboard, touch, and assistive technology when implemented correctly | Details revealed on demand |
| CSS attribute selector | CSS presentation | Does not expose or create information | Styling cells that already have an attribute |
Common mistake: confusing title with presentational cell attributes
Some old table-cell attributes are deprecated for presentation, and their visual effects should be replaced with CSS properties. That guidance is separate from the validity of the global HTML title attribute: a td may legally carry title, but CSS still cannot author it.
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Practical pattern
- Write the advisory text in the cell’s HTML, or generate it in your template.
- Use
td[title]only to provide a visual cue such as a help cursor or dotted underline. - Check whether the information is essential. If it is, render it visibly or provide an accessible, operable disclosure instead of depending on hover.
- Test with keyboard navigation, a touch device, and the assistive technologies used by your audience.
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