diff --git a/backend/cache/cache.go b/backend/cache/cache.go
index 18b5e2122..fc038f6ad 100644
--- a/backend/cache/cache.go
+++ b/backend/cache/cache.go
@@ -1747,7 +1747,7 @@ func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	do := f.Fs.Features().About
 	if do == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("About not supported")
+		return nil, errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
diff --git a/backend/chunker/chunker.go b/backend/chunker/chunker.go
index 76bed2e6c..5165a582b 100644
--- a/backend/chunker/chunker.go
+++ b/backend/chunker/chunker.go
@@ -1895,7 +1895,7 @@ func (f *Fs) DirMove(ctx context.Context, src fs.Fs, srcRemote, dstRemote string
 func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 	do := f.base.Features().CleanUp
 	if do == nil {
-		return errors.New("can't CleanUp")
+		return errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
@@ -1904,7 +1904,7 @@ func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	do := f.base.Features().About
 	if do == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("About not supported")
+		return nil, errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
diff --git a/backend/compress/compress.go b/backend/compress/compress.go
index db90dca25..9656fb573 100644
--- a/backend/compress/compress.go
+++ b/backend/compress/compress.go
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ func (f *Fs) DirMove(ctx context.Context, src fs.Fs, srcRemote, dstRemote string
 func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 	do := f.Fs.Features().CleanUp
 	if do == nil {
-		return errors.New("can't CleanUp: not supported by underlying remote")
+		return errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
@@ -915,7 +915,7 @@ func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	do := f.Fs.Features().About
 	if do == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("can't About: not supported by underlying remote")
+		return nil, errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
diff --git a/backend/crypt/crypt.go b/backend/crypt/crypt.go
index a28114293..11dd55dad 100644
--- a/backend/crypt/crypt.go
+++ b/backend/crypt/crypt.go
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ func (f *Fs) PutUnchecked(ctx context.Context, in io.Reader, src fs.ObjectInfo,
 func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 	do := f.Fs.Features().CleanUp
 	if do == nil {
-		return errors.New("can't CleanUp")
+		return errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	do := f.Fs.Features().About
 	if do == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("About not supported")
+		return nil, errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 	}
 	return do(ctx)
 }
diff --git a/backend/dropbox/dropbox.go b/backend/dropbox/dropbox.go
index 68abe619c..446f475f8 100644
--- a/backend/dropbox/dropbox.go
+++ b/backend/dropbox/dropbox.go
@@ -1269,7 +1269,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (usage *fs.Usage, err error) {
 		return shouldRetry(ctx, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("about failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	var total uint64
 	if q.Allocation != nil {
diff --git a/backend/hasher/hasher.go b/backend/hasher/hasher.go
index 44b403f36..1870983e0 100644
--- a/backend/hasher/hasher.go
+++ b/backend/hasher/hasher.go
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ func (f *Fs) CleanUp(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if do := f.Fs.Features().CleanUp; do != nil {
 		return do(ctx)
 	}
-	return errors.New("CleanUp not supported")
+	return errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 }
 
 // About gets quota information from the Fs
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	if do := f.Fs.Features().About; do != nil {
 		return do(ctx)
 	}
-	return nil, errors.New("About not supported")
+	return nil, errors.New("not supported by underlying remote")
 }
 
 // ChangeNotify calls the passed function with a path that has had changes.
diff --git a/backend/onedrive/onedrive.go b/backend/onedrive/onedrive.go
index 3fc06b54b..630a51197 100644
--- a/backend/onedrive/onedrive.go
+++ b/backend/onedrive/onedrive.go
@@ -1502,7 +1502,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (usage *fs.Usage, err error) {
 		return shouldRetry(ctx, resp, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("about failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	q := drive.Quota
 	// On (some?) Onedrive sharepoints these are all 0 so return unknown in that case
diff --git a/backend/pcloud/pcloud.go b/backend/pcloud/pcloud.go
index beab72b0e..82f9f42f5 100644
--- a/backend/pcloud/pcloud.go
+++ b/backend/pcloud/pcloud.go
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (usage *fs.Usage, err error) {
 		return shouldRetry(ctx, resp, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("about failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	usage = &fs.Usage{
 		Total: fs.NewUsageValue(q.Quota),               // quota of bytes that can be used
diff --git a/backend/premiumizeme/premiumizeme.go b/backend/premiumizeme/premiumizeme.go
index 58e2898e1..3b02a3ac3 100644
--- a/backend/premiumizeme/premiumizeme.go
+++ b/backend/premiumizeme/premiumizeme.go
@@ -783,10 +783,10 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (usage *fs.Usage, err error) {
 		return shouldRetry(ctx, resp, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("CreateDir http: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	if err = info.AsErr(); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("CreateDir: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	usage = &fs.Usage{
 		Used: fs.NewUsageValue(int64(info.SpaceUsed)),
diff --git a/backend/putio/fs.go b/backend/putio/fs.go
index 29cc2f840..3e2855b7d 100644
--- a/backend/putio/fs.go
+++ b/backend/putio/fs.go
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (usage *fs.Usage, err error) {
 		return shouldRetry(ctx, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("about failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	return &fs.Usage{
 		Total: fs.NewUsageValue(ai.Disk.Size),  // quota of bytes that can be used
diff --git a/backend/sftp/sftp.go b/backend/sftp/sftp.go
index 35e21ac2d..dbb87f4e7 100644
--- a/backend/sftp/sftp.go
+++ b/backend/sftp/sftp.go
@@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 	}
 	stdout, err := f.run(ctx, "df -k "+escapedPath)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("your remote may not support About: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("your remote may not have the required df utility: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	usageTotal, usageUsed, usageAvail := parseUsage(stdout)
diff --git a/backend/webdav/webdav.go b/backend/webdav/webdav.go
index 77fcf93d1..64c3e983a 100644
--- a/backend/webdav/webdav.go
+++ b/backend/webdav/webdav.go
@@ -1161,7 +1161,7 @@ func (f *Fs) About(ctx context.Context) (*fs.Usage, error) {
 		return f.shouldRetry(ctx, resp, err)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("about call failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	usage := &fs.Usage{}
 	if i, err := strconv.ParseInt(q.Used, 10, 64); err == nil && i >= 0 {
diff --git a/cmd/about/about.go b/cmd/about/about.go
index fd59db672..46c1d6f66 100644
--- a/cmd/about/about.go
+++ b/cmd/about/about.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ see complete list in [documentation](https://rclone.org/overview/#optional-featu
 			}
 			u, err := doAbout(context.Background())
 			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("About call failed: %w", err)
+				return fmt.Errorf("about call failed: %w", err)
 			}
 			if u == nil {
 				return errors.New("nil usage returned")