Writing & StyleStyle guide
Capitalization After a Colon in Headings
Capitalization After a Colon in Headings records Microsoft’s explicit sentence-style heading exception for the first word after a colon.
In Microsoft-style headings, capitalize the first word after a colon even though the heading otherwise follows sentence-style capitalization.
Key details
Core IssueUnder Microsoft sentence-style capitalization, if a title or heading contains a colon, capitalize the first word after the colon.
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Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This is Microsoft heading style; other style guides can use different capitalization rules after colons.
Further guidance
Content
In a Microsoft-style title or heading with a colon, capitalize the first word after the colon while otherwise following sentence-style capitalization.
Purpose
Preserve the house style’s heading boundary after a colon.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Capitalization — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Microsoft technical-style guidance for sentence-style headings, acronym expansion capitalization and capitalization after colons