diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.java
index d3a223b9c99..ca8237d0ea1 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ public class MessageSourceAutoConfiguration {
 	private int cacheSeconds = -1;
 
 	/**
-	 * Fall back to the system locale.
+	 * Set whether to fall back to the system Locale if no files for a specific Locale
+	 * have been found.  if this is turned off, the only fallback will be the default
+	 * file (e.g. "messages.properties" for basename "messages").
 	 */
 	private boolean fallbackToSystemLocale = true;
 
diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests.java
index ff54cd6fc00..10621de0813 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests.java
@@ -18,13 +18,13 @@ package org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure;
 
 import java.util.Locale;
 
+import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.boot.test.EnvironmentTestUtils;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.PropertySource;
-import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
@@ -34,53 +34,44 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
  * Tests for {@link MessageSourceAutoConfiguration}.
  *
  * @author Dave Syer
+ * @author Eddú Meléndez
+ * @author Stephane Nicoll
  */
 public class MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests {
 
 	private AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context;
 
+	@After
+	public void closeContext() {
+		if (context != null) {
+			context.close();
+		}
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void testDefaultMessageSource() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load();
 		assertEquals("Foo message",
 				this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "Foo message", Locale.UK));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testMessageSourceCreated() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context,
-				"spring.messages.basename:test/messages");
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load("spring.messages.basename:test/messages");
 		assertEquals("bar",
 				this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "Foo message", Locale.UK));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testEncodingWorks() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context,
-				"spring.messages.basename:test/swedish");
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load("spring.messages.basename:test/swedish");
 		assertEquals("Some text with some swedish öäå!",
 				this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "Foo message", Locale.UK));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testMultipleMessageSourceCreated() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context,
-				"spring.messages.basename:test/messages,test/messages2");
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load("spring.messages.basename:test/messages,test/messages2");
 		assertEquals("bar", this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "Foo message", Locale.UK));
 		assertEquals("bar-bar",
 				this.context.getMessage("foo-foo", null, "Foo-Foo message", Locale.UK));
@@ -88,11 +79,7 @@ public class MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testBadEncoding() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context, "spring.messages.encoding:rubbish");
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load("spring.messages.encoding:rubbish");
 		// Bad encoding just means the messages are ignored
 		assertEquals("blah", this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "blah", Locale.UK));
 	}
@@ -110,31 +97,26 @@ public class MessageSourceAutoConfigurationTests {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testFallbackDefault() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context,
-				"spring.messages.basename:test/messages");
-		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
-				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
-		this.context.refresh();
+		load("spring.messages.basename:test/messages");
 
 		assertTrue(this.context.getBean(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class)
 				.isFallbackToSystemLocale());
-		assertEquals("bar", this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "bar", Locale.UK));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testFallbackTurnOff() throws Exception {
-		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
-		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context,
-				"spring.messages.basename:test/messages",
+		load("spring.messages.basename:test/messages",
 				"spring.messages.fallback-to-system-locale:false");
+		assertFalse(this.context.getBean(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class)
+				.isFallbackToSystemLocale());
+	}
+
+	private void load(String... environment) {
+		this.context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext();
+		EnvironmentTestUtils.addEnvironment(this.context, environment);
 		this.context.register(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class,
 				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
 		this.context.refresh();
-
-		assertFalse(this.context.getBean(MessageSourceAutoConfiguration.class)
-				.isFallbackToSystemLocale());
-		assertEquals("bar", this.context.getMessage("foo", null, "bar", Locale.UK));
 	}
 
 	@Configuration
diff --git a/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/appendix-application-properties.adoc b/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/appendix-application-properties.adoc
index 296bd570921..cd526a3f77e 100644
--- a/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/appendix-application-properties.adoc
+++ b/spring-boot-docs/src/main/asciidoc/appendix-application-properties.adoc
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ content into your application; rather pick only the properties that you need.
 	spring.messages.basename=messages
 	spring.messages.cache-seconds=-1
 	spring.messages.encoding=UTF-8
-	spring.messages.fallback-to-system-locale=true
+	spring.messages.fallback-to-system-locale=true # set whether to fall back to the system Locale
 
 	[[common-application-properties-security]]
 	# SECURITY ({sc-spring-boot-autoconfigure}/security/SecurityProperties.{sc-ext}[SecurityProperties])