Using active voice and present tense helps readers understand actions and expectations as they navigate the content.

Strive for active voice and present tense in your documentation. Writing in active voice allows readers to place themselves as the subject in the documentation, and present tense tells readers what they can expect as they work through the content. See more details in the following pages:

• Active voice

• Present tense

While using passive voice and future tense is sometimes appropriate in documentation, keep your audience in mind by writing in plain language and centering your writing around the user as much as possible. For more information, see Use plain language.