Hidden description
Hidden description keeps long item tooltips folded until the player holds Shift, so the inventory stays readable while full details remain one key away.
What it does
Item tooltips in Minecraft grow long, especially in modded setups where items carry extra enchantment text and mod-specific data. A cluttered tooltip covers part of the screen and makes inventory management harder. The mod shows a short placeholder line by default and expands the full tooltip while the Shift key is held down.
The behavior is handled by a client-side event handler on ItemTooltipEvent. The handler checks whether Shift is pressed, and when it is not, it clears the default tooltip lines and replaces them with the placeholder. When Shift is pressed the original, unmodified tooltip list is restored. The tooltip is refreshed on each render, so pressing, releasing and pressing Shift again updates the same item without moving the mouse.
The mod is a single Forge build with no other dependencies. Its latest file is for 1.20.6, and files also exist for 1.20.1, 1.20.2, 1.20.3, 1.20.4 and 1.20.5. Hidden description runs on client and server, and the author says it was checked against vanilla items and modded equipment in inventory, creative and container screens. The code is under All rights reserved and is not open source.
Key features
Collapsed tooltip by default
A placeholder line reading Hold Shift for details replaces the full item tooltip until the key is held.
Expanded view on Shift
Holding Shift reveals the complete original tooltip, including enchantments and mod-specific metadata.
Live tooltip updates
The tooltip is re-rendered as the key state changes, so the display follows Shift without reopening the screen.
Compatible event handling
The mod listens to ItemTooltipEvent and adjusts event priority, so other mods that modify the same event keep working.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Modded inventories
Players with many modded items, each carrying long descriptions, can keep inventory screens readable and expand only the item they inspect.
Creative and container screens
The same key works in inventory, creative menu and container screens, so the behavior stays consistent across the interface.
Who it’s for: Players who run heavy modpacks with long item tooltips, and server owners who want a cleaner inventory interface without changing item data.
Questions
Does Hidden description need any other mod?
Does the mod have to be installed on the server?
Which game versions does Hidden description support?
In the catalog
Hidden description is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 1,441 Optimization mods for Forge. 11,154 mods support Minecraft 1.20.6.
More from Kuzhizaizheli
Similar mods
What the author says
feat(tooltip): Implement conditional tooltip expansion with Shift key This commit introduces a new client-side quality-of-life feature that modifies how item tooltips are displayed in the game. When a player is viewing an item's tooltip, a placeholder message "Hold Shift for details..." is shown by default. Pressing…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/hidden-description
- Owner
- Kuzhizaizheli
- Published
- 2026-06-10
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-06-10
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15