Problems FAQ
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
The purpose of this page is to help users of Wikipedia solve problems they may encounter when browsing or editing.
Note: If you're trying to get help for a specific technical problem that isn't answered by the FAQs, try asking at Wikipedia:Troubleshooting or at the Village pump.
How do I report that something isn't working properly?
- If you think it's a bug in the software, you can send a bug report to the developers. See Wikipedia:Bug reports for directions. It may also be a problem with your browser; see the next question...
My web browser and Wikipedia do not work together!
- Report the problem at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). Include a description of the problem, the name of your browser, the version number, and the operating system you are running.
How do I know if the problem is in the Wikipedia software or my browser?
- If you have another web browser installed, you can try to reproduce the problem in both. Failing this, you can describe your problem at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical) and ask other Wikipedians if they are having a similar problem. If no one else is, it's probably a problem with your particular browser setup.
Some, but not all, images don't show up. What's wrong?
- Usually this is caused by ad-blocking software; uploaded files are distributed into random subdirectories, and 1/256 of all images on the server end up in http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ad/, which trips off some advertisement-blocking proxies. Configure your proxy to allow this directory, and you should be fine.
I object to the very concept of Wikipedia. How can you expect me, or anyone, to take it seriously?
- See Replies to common objections for the most common objections, and answers given by participants.