# I didn't get it all read! How do I prolong the preview?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364 "2004-02-10T01:25:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mister\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@mister\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_me)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364/1 "2004-02-10T01:25:01Z")

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I hope I’m explaining this satisfactorily - here it goes…

You know the thread preview you get when you hold your mouse over a thread title here?

Does anyone know if you can prolong this preview longer than the (approx.) 3 seconds the preview box is static? Is there a mouse setting? An IE setting maybe?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364/2 "2004-02-10T01:47:29Z")

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In Windows, the pop-up previews of the ALT text in IE are related to ToolTips in applications and the amount of time they are displayed for is related to some other value that I can’t quite remember, except that changing it will probably be inconvenient in many ways.

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364/3 "2004-02-10T01:52:45Z")

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I just move off the thread and then move back oon.

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364/4 "2004-02-10T01:54:14Z")

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Just move your mouse continuously over the text (back and forth works), and the preview will remain indefinitely.

At least it does with Win98 and IE6.

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**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-get-it-all-read-how-do-i-prolong-the-preview/228364/5 "2004-02-10T03:20:18Z")

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Yea, just move it ever so slightly and the preview stays put.