Formatting Error Messages in Technical Documentation
Formatting Error Messages in Technical Documentation summarizes Microsoft’s sentence-case and quotation-mark treatment for error messages.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer
Use sentence-style capitalization for error messages, and put a referenced error message in quotation marks when quoting it in running text.
Key details
Core IssueMicrosoft style uses sentence-style capitalization for error messages and quotation marks when an error message is referenced in running text.
Registertechnical and professional documentation
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This is a Microsoft formatting convention and should not override product-specific strings that must be reproduced exactly.
Further guidance
Content
Use sentence-style capitalization for error messages; when referring to an error message in prose, enclose the quoted message in quotation marks.
Purpose
Distinguish literal error text from surrounding explanation and keep message presentation consistent.
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.
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