How to delete and restore pages in MediaWiki

What is happening when you delete?

MediaWiki is the software behind many wikis. When you delete a page, it is not wiped for ever. MediaWiki hides it from visitors and keeps the old versions in an archive. Administrators can look at that archive and restore the page. In MediaWiki, administrators are called sysops. You must be logged in as one to delete or restore.

Steps to delete a page

1. Log in to your wiki with an administrator account.
2. Open the page you want to delete.
3. Look for the Delete link. In the default Vector look, it is inside the More menu at the top of the page. In some looks it is a tab.
4. Click Delete.
5. Choose a reason from the list, or type your own reason in the box. A reason helps other admins understand what happened.
6. Click Delete page.

The page is now gone from the wiki. Visitors who open its address will see that the page does not exist.

Steps to restore a page

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Go to the page address of the deleted page. You will see a note that it was deleted. Click the link that says View or undelete (it also shows how many edits are stored).
3. Or type your wiki address followed by /index.php?title=Special:Undelete. Then type the page name and click Search.
4. You see a list of old versions. Tick the ones you want back. If you want all of them, leave the boxes empty.
5. Type a reason in the comment box.
6. Click Restore.

The page is back, with its full history.

Find all deleted pages

Open Special:Log on your wiki. Pick Deletion log from the type list. It shows who deleted what, and when.

Quick recap

• Deleting hides a page. Admins can bring it back.
• Use the Delete link on the page, give a reason and confirm.
• Use Special:Undelete to restore a page.
• The Deletion log lists past deletions.
• Back up first if you delete many pages.