Do not use IA64 as a synonym for 64-bit, x64, or amd64.
IA64 is an architecture that is used for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 only, and will not be available in the next version of Windows. It is all right to use Itanium-based instead. See also Intel-based, Itanium-based.
Capitalize and hyphenate as shown. Do not refer to the I-beam pointer except when necessary to describe how the pointer’s shape affects its function. For example, say “When you click text, the pointer looks like an I-beam.”
Use only to describe a graphic representation of an object that a user can select and open, such as a drive, disk, folder, document, or program.
When referring to an icon, use bold for the icon name.
Microsoft style
Click the Word icon.
Within programs, do not use icon for graphical dialog box options or options that appear on ribbons, toolbars, toolboxes, or other areas of a window.
For user interface elements that are identified by a graphic instead of label text, use the most descriptive term available, such as button, box, or check box. To refer to the graphic itself, if there is no other identifying label, use symbol, as in “warning symbol.”
To avoid ambiguity, use if to express a condition; use whether to express uncertainty, and use when for situations requiring preparation or to denote the passage of time.
In informal writing for the web, it is all right to use if to express uncertainty.
Microsoft style
If you do not know whether a network key is needed, contact your network administrator.
The printer might insert stray characters if the wrong font cartridge is selected.
When Setup is complete, restart your computer.
To find out whether TrueType fonts are available….
To find out if TrueType fonts are available… (Informal style)
Not Microsoft style
If you do not know if a network key is needed, contact your network administrator.
The printer might insert stray characters when the wrong font cartridge is selected.
Do not use whether or not to express uncertainty.
Microsoft style
With Internet Explorer, you can save webpages and view them later, whether you are connected to the Internet or not.
Microsoft style
With Internet Explorer, you can save webpages and view them later, even if you are not connected to the Internet.
Not Microsoft style
If you are not sure whether or not a network key is needed, contact your network administrator.
Use illegal only in specific situations, such as notices on software that say “Do not make illegal copies of this disk” or, in local content, to reference the violation of a local law, or in reference to the violation of international law. Except for certain appropriate situations, the terms licensed and unlicensed may be better.
Do not use to mean invalid or not valid. See also invalid, not valid.
Microsoft style
The queue path name is not valid.
Chords cannot be composed while a segment is playing.
Not Microsoft style
The queue path name is illegal.
It is illegal to compose chords while a segment is playing.
Use only as a noun. As a verb, use affect or another synonym instead.
Microsoft style
Sending inappropriate email can affect your career adversely.
Sending inappropriate email can impact your career adversely.
In indicates within the limits, bounds, or area of or from the outside to a point within. Into generally implies moving to the inside or interior of.
Microsoft style
A word is in a paragraph, but you move the text into the document.
Data is in a cell on a worksheet.
You edit the cell contents in the formula bar.
A file name is in a list box.
A workstation is in a domain, but resources are on servers.
You open multiple windows in a document.
You insert the disk into the disk drive.
You run programs with, on, or under an operating system, not in one.
The phrase in order to may be verbose in general writing, and therefore it is all right to just use to instead. However, in content that will be machine translated, using in order to avoids the ambiguity that the shorter form to frequently causes.
Use instead of not current to refer to windows, programs, documents, files, devices, or portions of the screen that are not open and operating. See also disable.
Do not use in the sense of messages being delivered unless you have no other choice. Use incoming instead.
Do not use unless you have no other choice. Use verbs such as motivate and encourage, or use a noun such as incentive.
Microsoft style
This pricing should encourage users to buy the new version.
Not Microsoft style
This pricing should incent users to buy the new version.
Use to refer to email messages that are being downloaded or being sent. Do not use inbound and outbound unless you have no other choice.
In content for software developers, web developers, and information technology professionals, use increment as a verb only to mean increase by one or by a specified interval. As a noun, use increment to refer to the specified interval.
In other content, it is all right to use increment in a nontechnical sense, as long as the meaning is clear.
Use indent to refer to a single instance of indentation. For example, use hanging indent, nested indent, negative indent, or positive indent. Do not use outdent to mean negative indent or indention to mean indent.
Use indentation only to refer to the general concept.
Do not use indenting or outdenting into the margin. Use extending text into the margin or indenting to the previous tab stop instead.
Use to refer to a business or organization that supplies information to an online information service such as MSN or America Online. Spell out on first mention.
In general, use indexes as the plural form of index instead of indices. Use indices only in the context of mathematical expressions.
Flexible computing capacity such as servers, storage, and networking that is managed by a cloud services provider and made available to the customer over the Internet. In the infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model, hardware provisioning such as for compute, storage, and networking is controlled by the provider, but the customer maintains control of the operating system and applications.
All right to use IaaS after the full term has been spelled out on first mention. Do not capitalize as IAAS.
Technical term usually referring to preparing a disk or computer for use or to set a variable to an initial value. Do not use to mean start a program or turn on a computer.
One word. Do not hyphenate. “Inline styles” are used in cascading style sheets to override a style in the style sheet itself. Inline styles are embedded in the tag itself by using the STYLE parameter.
Do not use as a verb. Use type or another appropriate verb instead. In content for a general audience, do not use as a noun unless you have no other choice.
Microsoft style
Word moves existing characters to the right as you type new text.
To verify the text that was entered… (General audience)
Not Microsoft style
Word moves existing characters to the right as you input new text.
To verify the input that was entered… (General audience)
All right to use to refer generically to a mouse, pen, ball, stylus, keyboard, joystick, game controller, or other device that sends user input to a computer or console. Do not use as a synonym for mouse or any of the other devices mentioned in this topic when you can be specific. See also Mouse terminology (Chapter 5).
In content for a general audience, spell out on first mention, and then abbreviate as I/O. You do not have to spell out I/O on first mention in content for a technical audience.
Spell out on first mention. On subsequent mention, all right to abbreviate as I/O control or IOCTL. Use only in content for a technical audience.
In general, use install to refer to adding hardware or software to a computer system.
Do not use install as a noun. Use installation instead. See also add, uninstall.
IM may be used in place of instant message or instant messaging as a noun or a modifier when the audience expects an informal tone. In general, spell out instant message or instant messaging on first mention.
In general, do not use instant message as a verb. Use send an instant message instead.
Do not use IM as a verb. Use send an IM instead. However, IM may be used as a verb in mobile UI content or to form a parallel construction with another one-word phrase. An example is “Tap a name to call or IM a contact.”
Microsoft style
To send an instant message, click Send IM on the toolbar.
You can customize the new instant messaging features based on your friends, family, and work contacts.
Using abbreviations such as IM does not save necessarily space when content is localized. For example, in many languages, instant message does not have an abbreviated form, and the translation may be more than 23 characters long.
Do not use unless you have no other choice. Use create an instance of (a class) instead. If you must use instantiate, its direct object must be the name of a class or a general reference to classes. You instantiate a class, not an object.
Use to distinguish computers with processors based on the Intel IA-32 or Itanium architecture from computers based on other architectures. See also IA-32-based, Itanium-based.
Use only as a noun, as in “user interface” and “application programming interface.” Use on as the preposition preceding user interface. Use interface by itself only if the context is clear.
Interface as a verb is jargon. Use interact or communicate instead.
Microsoft style
It is easy to use the Internet to communicate with various interest groups.
The interface is so intuitive that even first-time users learn quickly.
The color can be adjusted on the user interface.
Not Microsoft style
It is easy to use the Internet to interface with various interest groups.
The color can be adjusted in the user interface.
In COM-based technologies and objects in the Microsoft .NET Framework, an interface is a collection of related public functions called methods that provide access to an object. The set of interfaces on (note preposition) an object composes a contract that specifies how programs and other objects can interact with the object.
The Internet refers to the worldwide collection of networks that use open protocols such as TCP/IP to communicate with each other. The Internet offers a number of services, including email and the World Wide Web. Always capitalize Internet.
An intranet is a communications network based on the same technology as the World Wide Web that is available only to certain people, such as the employees of a company. Do not capitalize.
An extranet is an extension of an intranet using Internet protocols to provide authorized outside users with limited access to the intranet. Do not capitalize.
Technology that enables home and small-office computer users who have networked computers to share a single connection to the Internet. Always spell out.
Note capitalization. Spell out on first mention.
Use to refer to an organization that provides customers with access to the Internet for such activities as web browsing, email, and newsgroup participation. Common ISPs are MSN, America Online, and EarthLink.
When discussing specific MS-DOS interrupts, spell out and capitalize the word Interrupt and use a lowercase h, as in “Interrupt 21h.”
Both terms are all right to use, but they are sometimes vague. Replace them with a more specific term whenever possible.
International considerations
Use not valid instead of invalid whenever you can correctly do so. Invalid may be mistranslated in machine-translated content.
Microsoft style
There are several reasons why a product key might not be valid.
The telephone number may contain only numbers and hyphens.
Microsoft style, but vague
The telephone number is not valid.
There are several reasons why a product key might be invalid.
Do not use. Use reverse video instead. Use highlighted to refer to the appearance. See also highlight.
Do not use in content for a general audience in the sense of starting or running a program. It’s jargon. All right to use in content for a technical audience to refer to a function, process, and similar elements.
In content for a general audience, do not use as a verb. Use a more specific verb instead.
Microsoft style
Windows 7 displays an error message.
Click Save As to save a file under a new name.
Not Microsoft style
Windows 7 issues an error message.
Issue the Save As command to save a file under a new name.
IT as a service describes all three layers (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) of IT services consumed by organizations and businesses. Examples of ITaaS services include hardware selection, configuration, and optimization, in addition to software configuration and patching.
Use only in content for a technical or business-decision-maker audience. In content for a general audience, refer to the specific type of service being provided, such as applying software updates, in a cloud computing model.
All right to use ITaaS after the full term has been spelled out on first mention. Do not capitalize as ITAAS.
Use italic only as an adjective, not as a noun or as a verb. Do not use italics or italicized. See also Document conventions (Chapter 6), Fonts (Chapter 3).
Microsoft style
To make the selected characters italic, press Ctrl+I.
The newly added terms are displayed in italic type.
To italicize the selected characters, press Ctrl+I.
The newly added terms are displayed in italics.