Quotation marks

Use logical quotation and place punctuation, like commas and periods, outside of quotation marks. If you use only one set of quotation marks, use double quotation marks, not single.

Use double quotation marks to format the following elements:

• An actual quotation
• To offset words that aren't part of the meaning of your sentence
• Error messages

Don't use quotation marks for emphasis or to enclose the names of UI elements.

Correct

Search for "Query tables" on the Microsoft website.

If you see an error message that says "The user isn't authenticated", try logging in again.

See "Create workload pools" in this topic.

Incorrect

Enter "Filename" into the UI field.

From the "Field" menu, select Filename.

For a full list of formatting rules for commonly documented elements, including the elements that take quotation marks, see Formatting quick reference.