Wikipedia:Temporary accounts
 | This is an information page. It is neither an encyclopedia article nor one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Logged-out editors are now identified by a temporary account such as ~2025-84422-89 instead of their IP address. Some editors can still see their IPs. |
Temporary accounts are automatically assigned to unregistered editors. They replace the practice of identifying unregistered editors by their IP addresses, which are no longer exposed publicly for their privacy and security. The transition to temporary accounts helps editors avoid political persecution in territories with animus toward the English Wikipedia while additionally providing a layer of prevention hindering denial-of-service attacks against editors.
The accounts have the effect of obscuring the connection of unregistered editors to their IPs to casual viewers. Users with some extended rights like administrators and CheckUsers, as well as users in the temporary account IP viewer (TAIV) user group, are able to reveal temporary users' IP addresses and all contributions made by temporary accounts from a specific IP address or range.
They were enabled on English Wikipedia on November 4, 2025.
How do temporary accounts work?
When a logged-out user completes an edit or a logged action for the first time, an HTTP cookie is set in this user's browser and a temporary account tied with this cookie is automatically created for them. All subsequent actions by the temporary account user will be attributed to this username, as long as the same device (computer, smartphone, tablet etc) and browser is used.
A record of the IP address used at the time of each edit will be stored for 90 days after the edit. Users with the temporary account IP viewer (TAIV) user right are able to see the underlying IP addresses.
This account's name follows the pattern: ~2025-84422-89 (a tilde, year of creation, an auto-generated serial number broken up with hyphens grouping up to 5 digits at a time).[a] Users cannot choose or control the name of the temporary account, and temporary accounts cannot be renamed.
As long as the cookie exists, you will be automatically logged into this temporary account, meaning all edits made from this device and browser will be attributed to this temporary account, even if the IP address changes. The user can manually deactivate access to their temporary account by ending their session, accessible under the user icon or by visiting Special:UserLogout, or by clearing their cookies. Also, any edits while in incognito or private browsing mode are associated with a cookie which perishes as soon as that incognito window is closed. Further edits would then create a new temporary account and set a new cookie. If your browser blocks cookie creation, each edit will be attributed to a new temporary account, and you become subject to the limitations listed below. The cookie will expire 90 days after its creation, see account expiration below.
If you use a different device or browser, a new different temporary account will be created for you. You cannot access the same temporary account from different browsers or devices. Consider creating an account in order to be able to log in from different browsers or devices.
As a measure against vandalism, there are two limitations on the creation of temporary accounts:[specify]
- There has to be a minimum of 10 minutes between subsequent temporary account creations from the same IP (or /64 range in case of IPv6).
- There can be a maximum of 6 temporary accounts created from an IP (or /64 range) within a period of 24 hours
Account expiration
Temporary accounts will automatically expire 90 days after creation. This means the account is no longer accessible. Any logs of actions taken by the temporary account remains intact – the temporary account's edits and user talk page remain accessible and in page histories even after expiry.
A new temporary account will be created when the user edits or performs a logged action again.
Communication
Temporary accounts can be thanked and pinged, and their talk page is not shared with other editors using the same IP address.
Temporary account IP viewer user right
Administrators may grant the temporary account IP viewer (TAIV) user right to non-administrators who meet the criteria for granting. Importantly, an editor must make an explicit request for the permission (e.g. at WP:PERM/TAIV)—administrators are not permitted to assign the right without a request.
Administrators will automatically be able to see temporary account IP information once they have accepted the Access to Temporary Account IP Addresses Policy via Special:Preferences or via the onboarding dialog which comes up after temporary accounts are deployed.
Impact for administrators
- It is possible to block many abusers by just blocking their temporary accounts. A blocked person won't be able to create new temporary accounts quickly if the admin selects the autoblock option.
- It is still possible to block an IP address or IP range.
- Temporary accounts will not be retroactively applied to contributions made before the deployment. On Special:Contributions, you will be able to see existing IP user contributions, but not new contributions made by temporary accounts on that IP address. Instead, you should use Special:IPContributions for this (see a video about IPContributions in a gallery below).
"Hard blocks" (those with autoblock enabled) affect all temporary and named accounts on the same IP as the blocked user. The effects of "soft blocks" (those without autoblock) vary depending on the target.
| Block configuration | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account creation | Logged-in users from this IP | Temporary accounts on the IP/range | Named accounts on the IP/range | Can users on the IP/range create new ... | |
| temporary accounts? | named accounts? | ||||
| Not blocked | Not blocked | cannot edit | can edit | cannot create | can create |
| Blocked | Not blocked | cannot create | |||
| Not blocked | Blocked | cannot edit | can create | ||
| Blocked | Blocked | cannot create | |||
| Block configuration | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account creation | Any IP addresses used | The target account | Can the target account create new named accounts while logged in? | Can the autoblocked IPs create new ... | |
| temporary accounts? | named accounts? | ||||
| Not blocked | Not autoblocked | cannot edit | can create | — | |
| Blocked | Not autoblocked | cannot create[b] | |||
| Not blocked | Autoblocked | cannot edit, nor can any autoblocked accounts[c] | can create | cannot create[c] | can create |
| Blocked | Autoblocked | cannot create | cannot create[c] | ||
Rules about IP information disclosure
- It is never a violation of the TAIV disclosure policy to make a statement that does not rely on use of the TAIV tool. In particular, this means that purely behavioral comparisons of TAs to old IPs or TAs to named accounts are not governed by that policy. (e.g. "
The edits at Sun and Moon by ~2025-12345-67, 192.0.2.1, and User:Example appear to be by the same person.
")- However, TAIVs should take care not to give the impression that they are inappropriately disclosing TAIV information. Especially in the case of TA-to-IP behavioral comparisons, it is recommended to explicitly state that TAIV was not used.
- Publicly linking a TA to another TA is allowed if "reasonably believed to be necessary". (e.g. "
~2025-12345-67 and ~2025-12345-68 are on the same IP, so I am counting their reverts together toward 3RR
", but not "Hey ~2025-12345-68, you did some good editing as ~2025-12345-67".)- The same is generally true of metadata about an IP address, such as its ISP, whether it appears to be a proxy,[d] or a general location, unless this information is precise enough that it could plausibly be used to identify the user to a greater degree than they have self-disclosed. Note that some ISPs are very small or even belong to a single person, and that some countries have very small populations or have very few English Wikipedia editors. Avoid disclosing more information than necessary; when feasible, favor relative terms like "
~2025-12345-67 and ~2025-12345-68 are on the same ISP and geolocate to the same area
".[e]
- The same is generally true of metadata about an IP address, such as its ISP, whether it appears to be a proxy,[d] or a general location, unless this information is precise enough that it could plausibly be used to identify the user to a greater degree than they have self-disclosed. Note that some ISPs are very small or even belong to a single person, and that some countries have very small populations or have very few English Wikipedia editors. Avoid disclosing more information than necessary; when feasible, favor relative terms like "
- Publicizing an IP address gained through TAIV access is generally not allowed (e.g. "~2025-12345-67 previously edited as 192.0.2.1" or "~2025-12345-67's IP address is 192.0.2.1")
- However, admins are allowed to make blocks that, by their timing, imply a connection between an account and an IP (e.g. indefblocking ~2025-12345-67 and -68 and then moments later blocking 192.0.2.1 for a week). The other restrictions discussed here still apply to the admin's block summary and any other public comments on the blocks. This may sometimes mean that administrators need to be vague in describing IP blocks; for instance, if a TAIV requests that the IP underlying several TAs be blocked, the blocking admin should respond with something like "
Resolved
" rather than "Blocked underlying IP". - And when "reasonably believed to be necessary", exceptions can be made at appropriate policy-enforcement venues. For any recent disruption, it will usually be enough to tell another TAIV or admin to look at an IP themself, so this exception rarely applies to short-term cases. But it may apply e.g. to long-term abuse pages or particularly complex sockpuppet investigations. However, the disclosure should be revision-deleted as soon as it ceases to be necessary.[f]
- However, admins are allowed to make blocks that, by their timing, imply a connection between an account and an IP (e.g. indefblocking ~2025-12345-67 and -68 and then moments later blocking 192.0.2.1 for a week). The other restrictions discussed here still apply to the admin's block summary and any other public comments on the blocks. This may sometimes mean that administrators need to be vague in describing IP blocks; for instance, if a TAIV requests that the IP underlying several TAs be blocked, the blocking admin should respond with something like "
- Saying that a TA is not using a specific IP or range (e.g. "~2025-12345-67's IP puts them far away from 192.0.2.1") does not explicitly violate the disclosure policy; but if a TAIV says this in one case, and does not say it in another, this can lead to editors assuming a connection in the latter case. Vaguer phrasing like "
I do not see evidence that ~2025-12345-67 is evading a block
" is preferable. - CheckUsers will generally not publicly link named accounts to TAs, since this effectively discloses their IP address to any TAIV or admin.
Useful tools for patrollers
The User Info card feature, which can be enabled at Preferences → Appearance → Advanced options → 
Enable the user info card, makes it possible for anyone to see the approximate count of temporary accounts active on the same IP address range and allows users to view if a user has opted-in to view temporary account IPs.
Special:IPContributions allows viewing all edits and temporary accounts connected to a specific IP address or IP range. Similarly, Special:GlobalContributions supports global search for a given temporary account's activity.
The auto-reveal feature (see video below) allows users with the right permissions to automatically reveal all IP addresses for a limited time window.
Videos
-
How to use Special:IPContributions
-
How automatic IP reveal works
-
How to use IP Info
-
How to use User Info
See also
- Help:Temporary accounts on MediaWiki.org
- MediaWiki documentation
About editing Wikipedia with or without an account
- Advice for parents – A brief introduction to Wikipedia for parents and legal guardians.
- Contributing to Wikipedia – A page that explains how and where you can help Wikipedia.
- Deleting and merging accounts – A page that explains why it is not possible to delete user accounts and the alternatives available.
- Personal security practices – A page that explains how caution should be used when posting personally identifiable information online.
- Privacy, confidentiality and discretion – A page that explains how your rights to privacy may not extend as far as you believe.
- Request an account – A page that explains how any editor may request an account be created for them.
- Why create an account? – A part of the FAQ that talks about the reasons to edit as a registered user.
- Why not create an account? – A page that talks about the reasons to edit as an IP.
- Wikipedia is in the real world – A page that explains how activity here on Wikipedia has consequences in the real world.
Notes
- ^ Serial numbers are derived from the temporary account's ordinal value in the sequence of all temporary accounts created across all WMF wikis in the current year, which is then remapped to another number with the same number of digits to avoid confusion between accounts created close together in time. As a result, the digits after the year in a serial number do not necessarily tell you which of two temporary accounts is older.
- ^ Cookie issues may sometimes allow temp accounts to create accounts when blocked with account creation blocked and autoblock disabled. Note that blocking with these settings is not very effective even when it works correctly, since a user can always log out and then create a new account. Because temp accounts can be both exited and created without conscious effort, a temp-account user blocked in this way may even do this without intending to.
- ^ a b c Autoblock length is limited to 24 hours from each time the blocked account attempts to edit a page, even if the underlying block is indefinite. Because temp accounts are forcibly logged out after 90 days, hardblocking a temp account cannot trigger autoblocks any later than that, regardless of block length.
- ^ However, see foundation:Legal:Wikimedia IP Information Tool Policy § Use and disclosure of IP information: You may only disseminate proxy-related information
as reasonably required
. - ^ This sub-bullet is not based on the TAIV disclosure policy, but rather discussion with WMF Legal, who have explicitly endorsed this interpretation of policy.
- ^ For convenience' sake, it may be preferable to transclude the disclosure from some subpage, e.g. Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Example/TAIV disclosure, so that when it is later redacted and revision-deleted this does not also sweep up a large number of intervening edits.