diff --git a/draftlogs/5913_fix.md b/draftlogs/5913_fix.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6f07e5bdccf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/draftlogs/5913_fix.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+ - Handle the case of div with zero (width or) height when positioning unified hover box
+   (regression introduced in 2.3.0) [[#5913](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.js/pull/5913)]
diff --git a/src/components/fx/hover.js b/src/components/fx/hover.js
index eff1e1a2c4e..6b54858ddc5 100644
--- a/src/components/fx/hover.js
+++ b/src/components/fx/hover.js
@@ -205,18 +205,16 @@ exports.loneHover = function loneHover(hoverItems, opts) {
         };
     });
 
-    var container3 = d3.select(opts.container);
-    var outerContainer3 = opts.outerContainer ? d3.select(opts.outerContainer) : container3;
+    var rotateLabels = false;
 
-    var fullOpts = {
+    var hoverLabel = createHoverText(pointsData, {
+        gd: gd,
         hovermode: 'closest',
-        rotateLabels: false,
+        rotateLabels: rotateLabels,
         bgColor: opts.bgColor || Color.background,
-        container: container3,
-        outerContainer: outerContainer3
-    };
-
-    var hoverLabel = createHoverText(pointsData, fullOpts, gd);
+        container: d3.select(opts.container),
+        outerContainer: opts.outerContainer || opts.container
+    });
 
     // Fix vertical overlap
     var tooltipSpacing = 5;
@@ -243,7 +241,7 @@ exports.loneHover = function loneHover(hoverItems, opts) {
 
     var scaleX = gd._fullLayout._invScaleX;
     var scaleY = gd._fullLayout._invScaleY;
-    alignHoverText(hoverLabel, fullOpts.rotateLabels, scaleX, scaleY);
+    alignHoverText(hoverLabel, rotateLabels, scaleX, scaleY);
 
     return multiHover ? hoverLabel : hoverLabel.node();
 };
@@ -657,7 +655,6 @@ function _hover(gd, evt, subplot, noHoverEvent) {
     var spikelineOpts = {
         fullLayout: fullLayout,
         container: fullLayout._hoverlayer,
-        outerContainer: fullLayout._paperdiv,
         event: evt
     };
     var oldspikepoints = gd._spikepoints;
@@ -826,17 +823,16 @@ function _hover(gd, evt, subplot, noHoverEvent) {
         fullLayout.paper_bgcolor
     );
 
-    var labelOpts = {
+    var hoverLabels = createHoverText(hoverData, {
+        gd: gd,
         hovermode: hovermode,
         rotateLabels: rotateLabels,
         bgColor: bgColor,
         container: fullLayout._hoverlayer,
-        outerContainer: fullLayout._paperdiv,
+        outerContainer: fullLayout._paper.node(),
         commonLabelOpts: fullLayout.hoverlabel,
         hoverdistance: fullLayout.hoverdistance
-    };
-
-    var hoverLabels = createHoverText(hoverData, labelOpts, gd);
+    });
 
     if(!helpers.isUnifiedHover(hovermode)) {
         hoverAvoidOverlaps(hoverLabels, rotateLabels ? 'xa' : 'ya', fullLayout);
@@ -874,7 +870,8 @@ function hoverDataKey(d) {
 
 var EXTRA_STRING_REGEX = /<extra>([\s\S]*)<\/extra>/;
 
-function createHoverText(hoverData, opts, gd) {
+function createHoverText(hoverData, opts) {
+    var gd = opts.gd;
     var fullLayout = gd._fullLayout;
     var hovermode = opts.hovermode;
     var rotateLabels = opts.rotateLabels;
@@ -894,7 +891,7 @@ function createHoverText(hoverData, opts, gd) {
     var ya = c0.ya;
     var axLetter = hovermode.charAt(0);
     var t0 = c0[axLetter + 'Label'];
-    var outerContainerBB = outerContainer.node().getBoundingClientRect();
+    var outerContainerBB = outerContainer.getBoundingClientRect();
     var outerTop = outerContainerBB.top;
     var outerWidth = outerContainerBB.width;
     var outerHeight = outerContainerBB.height;