# Can I change the time of the hover box? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 5, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103 "2005-03-05T17:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/1 "2005-03-05T17:55:49Z")
That is, I like to preview a thread with the little box that pops under the cursor. Often times it disapears on me way too fast to read. Can I change the timing of the preview some how? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/2 "2005-03-05T19:01:49Z")
Yes, you can. 🙂 Just keep your mouse over the link. Just tested this in Mozzie and IE. Now as to the actual answer to the question, no. It’s a browser thingie. ---
**Author:** ![Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/3 "2005-03-05T19:24:04Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Yes, you can. 🙂 > > Just keep your mouse over the link. Just tested this in Mozzie and IE. > > Now as to the actual answer to the question, no. It’s a browser thingie. In Safari, the preview fades after 5 - 7 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/4 "2005-03-05T19:39:47Z")
In IE, just keep moving the cursor a bit. You can keep the preview up as long as you want that way. Firefox won’t display it at all, so you need an extension that will. The one I use doesn’t work exactly the way IE does. The popup disappears in a few seconds no matter what, and you must move the cursor a bit to redisplay it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/5 "2005-03-05T19:55:00Z")
Toodle your mousepointer with vigor. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/6 "2005-03-06T18:50:42Z")
Opera 7 barely keeps it up there very long at all. Plus, you have to find that “sweet spot” (sweet line?) near the top of the table cell that the thread title is in; the title itself doesn’t show it. Moving the mouse pointer while keeping it in that little bitty margin is a very difficult endeavor. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/7 "2005-03-06T21:35:54Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Firefox won’t display it at all, so you need an extension that will. The one I use doesn’t work exactly the way IE does. The popup disappears in a few seconds no matter what, and you must move the cursor a bit to redisplay it. That’s funny, I run Firefox without any extensions, and it works on mine. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/8 "2005-03-06T21:56:19Z")
> [@mike1dog](#): > > That’s funny, I run Firefox without any extensions, and it works on mine. Same here… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/9 "2005-03-07T02:17:06Z")
How many words do you get? Half a dozen or so? You get about that many lines on IE and most Firefox users have complained about that once they switched over. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-change-the-time-of-the-hover-box/293103/10 "2005-03-07T20:06:56Z")
You’re all correct. :smack: Without the extension, Firefox only gives the first line.