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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11To fix Python’s SyntaxError: unterminated string literal, find where the string starts, then make sure it ends with the matching quote—or correct the quote, newline, or trailing backslash that prevents Python from finding the end. Check the reported line and the one before it: the typo may begin before the error marker.
What Python means by “unterminated string literal”
A string literal begins with a quote and must end with the same kind of quote. Python’s language reference puts it plainly: “The quote used to start the literal also terminates it.” A missing closing quote, a quote inside the text, or a line break or backslash that changes how Python reads the delimiter can leave the string unfinished. Python 3.14.8 Language Reference: String and Bytes literals.
Fix the cause that matches your code
Missing closing quote
Add the matching quote where the text is meant to end. A single quote must close with a single quote; a double quote must close with a double quote.
# Broken
message = "Hello
# Fixed
message = "Hello"Also inspect the previous line. A backslash at its end can escape the newline, making Python treat the next line as part of the same string.
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A matching quote inside the text
If the text contains the same quote used to open the string, Python may treat that character as the end. Switch to the other quote style or escape the embedded quote.
message = "Don't do that!"
message = 'Don't do that!'The same principle applies to a double quote inside a double-quoted string: escape it or enclose the text in single quotes.
An unintended physical newline
An ordinary single- or double-quoted string cannot continue over an unescaped physical newline. If the newline belongs in the value, use three matching quotes at each end:
message = """First line
Second line"""If the newline is accidental, close the string on the intended line instead. Triple quotes preserve unescaped newlines, so using them changes the value rather than merely hiding the error. Three matching, unescaped quotes close a triple-quoted string. Python 3.14.8 Language Reference: Triple-quoted strings.
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The r prefix changes how backslashes are interpreted, but it does not remove the closing-quote requirement. A raw string cannot end with an odd number of backslashes because the final backslash escapes the apparent closing quote. For a Windows-style path, double the final backslash or add it as a separate string:
# Invalid: the final backslash escapes the apparent closing quote
# path = r"C:Temp"
# Valid alternatives
path = "C:\Temp\"
path = r"C:Temp" + "\"Python 3.12.15 Language Reference: String and Bytes literals.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If the error is still there
Python may report the error at or after the point where it can no longer parse the code, so the caret is not guaranteed to identify the original typo. Review the reported line and nearby lines for these specific problems:
- A missing or mismatched closing quote.
- An unescaped quote inside the string.
- An accidental physical newline in an ordinary string.
- An odd number of backslashes at the end of a raw string.
- A trailing backslash on the preceding line that escapes its newline.
After correcting the delimiter, rerun the same script or a minimal snippet containing the affected line to confirm that the syntax error is gone.
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