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[DOCS-13765] Document widget descriptions feature #35811

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evazorro merged 5 commits into from
Apr 8, 2026
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[DOCS-13765] Document widget descriptions feature #35811

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27c32bd
Document widget descriptions feature
evazorro Apr 7, 2026
c449fe7
Add widget description hover screenshot
evazorro Apr 7, 2026
5b140a7
Reword for concision
evazorro Apr 8, 2026
31e09fb
Add highlight to screenshot
evazorro Apr 8, 2026
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Remove mention of specific widgets
evazorro Apr 8, 2026
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63 changes: 38 additions & 25 deletions content/en/dashboards/widgets/configuration/_index.md
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Expand Up @@ -70,6 +70,19 @@ Custom links enhance data interaction by connecting widget data values to releva

To customize interactions with data inline your generic widgets, see [Context Links][2].

## Widget descriptions

Widget descriptions let you add a text description to any dashboard widget, including timeseries, geomap, and bar chart widgets. Use descriptions to provide context about a metric, such as what it represents, how to interpret it, or what action to take.
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@evazorro evazorro Apr 7, 2026

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@amymzhou do we want to include these examples of the types of widgets that support descriptions? I pulled this from Alessandro's email

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@amymzhou amymzhou Apr 8, 2026

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don't feel too strongly here - honestly it's pretty much all widgets, so I'm not sure we need to add examples!

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@evazorro evazorro Apr 8, 2026

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Okey doke, I'll remove it!


To add a description:
1. Open the graph editor for the widget.
2. In the **Description** field at the bottom of the editor, enter a description.
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3. Click **Save**.

After saving, hover over the description icon in the top-left corner of the widget to view the description.

{{< img src="dashboards/widgets/configuration/widget-description-hover.png" alt="A bar chart widget titled 'Avg CPU User % by Service (Top 10)' with the cursor hovering over the description icon in the top-left corner, displaying the description tooltip above the widget." >}}
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## Metrics info

On a metric graph, click the context menu (three vertical dots) to find the **Metrics Info** option. This opens a panel with a description of the metric. Clicking on the metric name in this panel opens the metric in the metric summary page for further analysis or edits.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -134,28 +147,28 @@ View the graph in [full screen mode](#full-screen).

Click on the export icon of any dashboard graph to open an options menu:

| Option | Description |
|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Copy | Create a copy of the dashboard graph. |
| Share snapshot | Create and send a snapshot of your graph. |
| Option | Description |
|----------------|-------------------------------------------|
| Copy | Create a copy of the dashboard graph. |
| Share snapshot | Create and send a snapshot of your graph. |

#### Use within Datadog

| Option | Description |
|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Declare incident | Declare an incident from the graph. |
| Add to incident | Add the graph to an existing incident. |
| Create case | Create a case from the graph. |
| Save to notebook | Save the graph to a notebook. |
| Link to widget | Get a link to the widget copied to your clipboard. |
| Option | Description |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Declare incident | Declare an incident from the graph. |
| Add to incident | Add the graph to an existing incident. |
| Create case | Create a case from the graph. |
| Save to notebook | Save the graph to a notebook. |
| Link to widget | Get a link to the widget copied to your clipboard. |

#### Share externally

| Format | Description |
| ----- | ----------------------- |
| Download as PNG | Download the widget in PNG format. |
| Download as SVG | Download the widget in SVG format. |
| Download as CSV | Download the widget in CSV format. |
| Format | Description |
|-----------------|------------------------------------|
| Download as PNG | Download the widget in PNG format. |
| Download as SVG | Download the widget in SVG format. |
| Download as CSV | Download the widget in CSV format. |

### Edit

Expand All @@ -165,15 +178,15 @@ Click on the pencil icon of any dashboard graph to make edits.

Click on the context menu (three vertical dots) of any dashboard graph to open an options menu:

| Option | Description |
|------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Edit | Edit the graph. |
| Clone | Create an adjacent copy of the graph. |
| Split graph | Create a [split graph][10]. |
| Create custom links | Create [custom links](#custom-links). |
| Create monitor | Create a monitor preconfigured with the graph's query. |
| Metrics info (metric graphs only) | Get a description of the metrics in this graph. You can click on the metric names to open them in the Metric Summary page. |
| Delete | Delete the graph. |
| Option | Description |
|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Edit | Edit the graph. |
| Clone | Create an adjacent copy of the graph. |
| Split graph | Create a [split graph][10]. |
| Create custom links | Create [custom links](#custom-links). |
| Create monitor | Create a monitor preconfigured with the graph's query. |
| Metrics info (metric graphs only) | Get a description of the metrics in this graph. You can click on the metric names to open them in the Metric Summary page. |
| Delete | Delete the graph. |

## Further Reading

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