Interactions · Error tolerance

Confirmation Dialog

Also called: Confirm dialog, Confirmation modal, "Are you sure?" dialog

Before an action that can't be undone, like deleting or paying, show a dialog asking the user to confirm one more time, to prevent mistakes.

Example

In detail

Confirmation dialogs belong where a mistake is costly: deleting data, clearing content, discarding unsaved edits, paying, closing an account. After the click, a dialog pops up that says clearly what will happen ("This can't be undone. The 12 files in this project will also be deleted."), then offers two buttons, "Cancel" and "Delete."

A few details: the confirm button names the specific action ("Delete," not "OK"); the dangerous button gets a standout style; for especially serious actions (deleting a database, closing an account), you can require typing the name before confirming. A lightweight confirmation can also be a popover instead of a full-screen overlay.

Don't overuse it. If every small action asks for confirmation, users get in the habit of clicking "OK," and confirmation loses its point. For actions that can be reversed, prefer undo.

Developer infoTerm ID, DOM cues, match priority

Term ID: interaction-confirm-dialog
DOM selectors: No DOM cues. This concept isn't detected directly on a page.
Priority: 1 · when several match at the same level, the higher priority wins
Version: v1 · updated Sep 29, 2026