Wikipedia:Replacement of CSD U5 FAQ

Speedy deletion criterion U5, "Non-contributor's misuse of Wikipedia as a web host", was repealed in October 2025. It was replaced with criteria U6 (which creates a procedural mechanism to delete most pages that were eligible under U5, and many that were not) and U7 (a much narrower reworked version of U5). This information page aims to answer a number of questions that have arisen for new page patrollers.

Why was U5 repealed?

There was near-unanimous consensus to repeal U5, on the basis that it tended to bite new users who hadn't had time to establish themselves as editors, that it was frequently misapplied (especially to delete plausible drafts), and that the content it covered (when not covered by other CSD) was neither urgent to delete nor something that needed to be kept admin-eyes-only.

Why does U6 only apply six months after the last human edit?

To follow the procedural logic of CSD G13, focusing on pages that are unmaintained rather than requiring admin review of the precise merits of the page. This also allows an editor a healthy window of time to establish themself as no longer a "non-contributor", rather than potentially deleting a page that might have been created an hour before what would have been someone's first content edit.

Why does U7 only apply six months after creation?

U7 is meant as a backstop for pages that might evade deletion under U6 because they are being actively maintained but are still problematic, and so by definition it cannot be applicable until six months after creation. It is not expected to be used with nearly the same frequency as U5.

What do I do if I see vandalism, spam, etc., in userspace?

All of the G-series (general) speedy deletion criteria still apply in userspace, except for G1 and G2. You may still tag, among other things, vandalism or hoaxing (G3), attack pages (G10), spam (G11), and copyright violations (G12) exactly as before, even for pages that are exempt from U6 or U7.

Why are top-level userpages exempted? What do I do with them instead?

If a page's content doesn't fall under a G-series criterion, there is generally no need for it to be admin-eyes only. And since there's an expectation and encouragement that users will have a top-level userpage, unlike an arbitrary subpage, deleting that userpage is counterproductive. Instead, as part of the same consensus that created U6 and U7, WP:UPYES lets any editor move a draft off of a top-level userpage, and WP:UPNOT provides that any editor may blank a top-level userpage if it would qualify for U7 if it were a subpage.

What do I do now if I see a user subpage that would have been eligible for U5 (but isn't eligible under a G-series criterion)?

In most cases, nothing. As of October 31, the community is still working out how U6 will be implemented, but it will likely be bot-based to a significant degree, as with G13. Manually U6-tagging pages that the bot would miss (e.g. because the user has a couple of mainspace edits) is fine. If you see a user subpage that would have been U5-eligible, but is ineligible for U6 because it is being actively maintained, then assess whether U7 applies.

What counts as potentially a draft for the purposes of U7?

Anything that, if you squint at it really hard, could be interpreted as some kind of attempt to write an encyclopedia article, even by someone who has no idea how to write an encyclopedia article. Horrible writing, POV issues, verifiability issues, promotionality, broken formatting, and non-English writing do not keep something from being a draft. Note that the "could not be interpreted as draft articles" requirement is in addition to U7's four subcriteria; something that would otherwise meet one of them but could be interpreted as a draft (like a "Here's a thing I made" page that's written vaguely like an encyclopedia article) is still exempt from U7. At the same time, note that something might be interpretable as a draft but still eligible for deletion under another CSD, in particular G3 or G11.

What about pages containing personal information?

Non-public personally identifiable information may be eligible for suppression (oversight). Some personal information, even when not eligible for suppression, may be within an admin's discretion to delete under WP:BLPDELETE. Admins can also revision-delete personal information from old userpage revisions under WP:DELTALK.

What if none of the above applies but I still think a page should be deleted?

You may use Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion.

What happens if someone wants a U6-deleted page back?

The exact details are also still being worked out, but expect it to work the same as or similar to WP:REFUND/G13. In other words, there is a presumption of undeletion, but an admin might decline if they think the page would fall under some other CSD, or if undeleting would obviously not be in the best interests of the encyclopedia.