Microsoft Writing Style Guide
The Microsoft Writing Style Guide is a free online style reference maintained by Microsoft, focused on clear, inclusive writing for product and technical content.
Also known as:
Microsoft Style Guide, MS Style Guide
What is Microsoft Writing Style Guide?
The Microsoft Writing Style Guide is the public editorial guide Microsoft uses for its own product, support and developer content. It covers voice, grammar, accessibility, bias-free language, terminology and formatting specific to software documentation. For example, the guide recommends contractions, second-person perspective and short sentences to keep technical copy approachable, which is a deliberate shift from the heavier style many enterprise teams inherited.
Why does Microsoft Writing Style Guide matter?
Microsoft's guide matters because it sets the tone for much of the software industry's documentation style. Teams writing product help, in-app messages, release notes or developer docs often adopt it as a baseline, then adjust for their own voice. Its emphasis on accessibility and inclusive language has also pushed the whole category of tech writing toward clearer, more human copy.
Examples of Microsoft Writing Style Guide
Voice — Write in second person and active voice, so "You can save the file" rather than "Users have their files saved."
Contractions — Microsoft recommends contractions such as "it's" and "can't" to keep product copy friendly and conversational.
Bias-free language — Prefer "allowlist" over "whitelist," "primary" and "secondary" over "master" and "slave," and neutral job titles over gendered ones.
