How to search for an error message and get a useful answer

Most errors have been seen by thousands of people before you. The skill is searching for the right words.

Copy the right part

Copy the last line of the message (the part that names the error), not the whole screen. Put it in quotes if it is a fixed sentence, for example "Cannot read properties of undefined". Then remove the parts that are only about your program, such as your file names, variable names, numbers and paths: NameError: name 'totl' is not defined becomes NameError name is not defined.

Add the context

Add the name of the language, tool or program and, if it matters, the version: python NameError name is not defined, excel #N/A vlookup, git failed to push some refs. The same words can mean different things in different tools. If the error comes from a library, add its name.

Pick answers carefully

• Prefer the official documentation and answers that explain why the error happens, not only a line to paste.
• Look at the date. Fixes for old versions may not apply, and tools change their messages over time.
• Read the answer and compare the situation with yours. If the code is similar and the explanation makes sense, try it.
• Do not run commands that you do not understand, especially ones that delete files, change permissions or turn off security checks.

Try it in a small program

If you can reproduce the error in a few lines of code (a "minimal example"), you often find the cause yourself, because you removed everything that is not needed. It also makes a question much easier to answer.

Ask a good question

If you ask other people for help, include: what you wanted to do, what you did, the exact error text (as text, not a photo, so it can be searched), the version of the program, and what you already tried. Remove passwords, keys and personal data from anything you paste.

Use the paste box on the home page

The paste box on this site's home page matches the text of an error against the messages of every page here and lists the likely ones. It works with exact messages from Python, JavaScript in Chrome, Excel and Git, and understands a few of the wordings used by Firefox and Safari.

This is an independent guide. It is not connected with Python, Microsoft, Google, GitHub or the Git project. Product names belong to their owners. Examples were run on 13 November 2026 in a practice folder or a blank workbook; your version may word a message slightly differently.