Help:Contents
This page provides help with the most common questions about Wikipedia.
You can also search Wikipedia's help pages using the search box below, or browse the Help menu or the Help directory.
Read or find an article
The Readers' FAQ and our about page contain the most commonly sought information about Wikipedia.
For simple searches, there is a search box at the top of every page. Type what you are looking for in the box. Partial matches will appear in a dropdown list. Select any page in the list to go to that page. Or, select the magnifying glass "Go" button, or press ↵ Enter, to go to a full search result. For advanced searches, see Help:Searching.
There are other ways to browse and explore Wikipedia articles; many can be found at Wikipedia:Contents. See our disclaimer for cautions about Wikipedia's limitations.
For mobile access, press the mobile view link at the very bottom of every desktop view page.
Edit an article
Contributing is easy: see how to edit a page. For a quick summary on participating, see contributing to Wikipedia, and for a friendly tutorial, see our introduction. For a listing of introductions and tutorials by topic, see getting started. The Simplified Manual of Style and Cheatsheet can remind you of basic wiki markup.
Be bold in improving articles! When adding facts, please provide references so others may verify them. If you are affiliated with the article subject, please see our conflict of interest guideline.
The simple guide to vandalism cleanup can help you undo malicious edits.
If you're looking for places you can help out, the Task Center is the place to go, or check out what else is happening at the community portal. You can practice editing and experiment in a sandboxyour sandbox.
Report a problem with an article
If there is a problem with an article about yourself, a family member, a friend or a colleague, please read Biographies of living persons/Help.
If you spot a problem with an article, you can fix it directly, by clicking on the "Edit" link at the top of that page. See the "edit an article" section of this page for more information.
If you don't feel ready to fix the article yourself, post a message on the article's talk page. This will bring the matter to the attention of others who work on that article. There is a "Talk" link at the beginning of every article page.
You can contact us. If it's an article about you or your organization, see Contact us – Subjects.
Create a new article or upload media
Check Your first article to see if your topic is appropriate, then the Article wizard will walk you through creating the article.
Once you have created an article, see Writing better articles for guidance on how to improve it and what to include (like reference citations).
For contributing images, audio or video files, see the Introduction to uploading images. Then the Upload wizard will guide you through that process.
Stuck?
Answers to common problems can be found at frequently asked questions.
Or check out where to ask questions or make comments.
New users should seek help at the Teahouse if they're having problems while editing Wikipedia.
More complex questions can be posed at the Help desk. Volunteers will respond as soon as they're able.
Or and a volunteer will visit you there!
You can get live help with editing in the help chatroom.
For help with technical issues, ask at the Village pump.
Factual questions
If searching Wikipedia has not answered your question (for example, questions like "Which country has the world's largest fishing fleet?"), try the Reference Desk. Volunteers there will attempt to answer your questions on any topic, or point you toward the information you need.
Directories
- Directory: main list of directories and indexes.
Help related
- Help directory: for informative, instructional and consultation pages.
- Request directory: for services and assistance that can be requested on Wikipedia.
Protocols and conventions
- Policy directory: official policies for "English Wikipedia".
- Guideline directory: official guidelines for "English Wikipedia".
- Manual of Style directory: pages related to the style manual of Wikipedia articles.
Community related
- Departments: for the different divisions of Wikipedia.
- Editor's index: for everything an editor needs to know to work on Wikipedia.
- Essay directory: for Wikipedia namespace essays.
- Dashboard: for current discussions taking place throughout Wikipedia.
- WikiProjects: for people who want to work together as a team to improve Wikipedia.
MediaWiki software
Help by topic
- Help Menu: for searching by subject matter.
- Navigating Wikipedia: for searching and browsing the encyclopedia.
- Joining Wikipedia: how to get involved.
- Editing Wikipedia: has general help for editors.
- Links and references: has help for creating links, or dealing with references
- Images and media: how to use images, videos and sound files.
- Keeping track of changes: how to track the evolution of a page, or follow a user.
- Policies and guidelines: for community standards.
- Asking questions: volunteers will attempt to answer.
- The Wikipedia community: how to submit or debate a proposal.
- Resources and lists: has resources for editors.
- Account settings: has tips and tools for registered users.
- Technical information: has tools for advanced users, and troubleshooting.
- Site map: is the above thirteen pages on one single page.
Tip of the day
The lead section of a Wikipedia article is the section before the first heading. The table of contents, if displayed, generally appears between the lead section and the first subheading.
Rule of thumb: If a topic deserves a heading or subheading, then it deserves short mention in the lead.
The lead section should contain up to four paragraphs, depending on the length of the article, and should provide a preview of the main points the article will make, summarizing the primary reasons the subject matter is interesting or notable. The lead should be capable of standing alone as a concise overview of the article, should be written in a clear and accessible style, should be carefully sourced like the rest of the text, and should encourage the reader to want to read more. The following table has some general guidelines for the length of the lead section:
| < 15,000 characters | medium size | > 30,000 characters |
|---|---|---|
| one or two paragraphs | two or three paragraphs | three or four paragraphs |
