Writing & StyleStyle guide

Highlighting Key Lines in Code Blocks

Highlighting Key Lines in Code Blocks records a distinct Microsoft Learn authoring convention and keeps it scoped to that documentation environment rather than presenting it as a universal grammar rule.

Quick answer

Use supported code-snippet highlighting when readers need attention drawn to specific lines instead of relying on decorative screenshots.

Key details

Core Issuehighlighting key lines in code blocks
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Important caveats

Scope Boundary

This page covers the Microsoft Learn code-block authoring task; it does not prescribe highlighting where no lines need special attention.

Further guidance

Content

Use supported code-snippet highlighting when readers need attention drawn to specific lines instead of relying on decorative screenshots.

Purpose

Keep technical documentation readable, reusable, and unambiguous for readers while following current Microsoft Learn contributor conventions.

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.

  1. How to include code in docs — Microsoft Learn Contributor Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Current Microsoft Learn contributor guidance on including code in documentation, including link/code styling, code-block quality checks, screenshots, validation, highlighting, scrollability, bad-code labeling, and in-repository snippet references.

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