View source for Wiki143:Signatures

<noinclude>{{Short description|Wikipedia behavioral guideline}}{{pp-semi|small=yes}}{{pp-move-indef}}
</noinclude>
{{hatgrp|{{Redirect|Wikipedia:Sign|Wikipedia's newspaper|Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost{{!}}Wikipedia:Wikipedia ''Signpost''}}
{{For|the essay about signatures of living persons in articles|Wikipedia:Signatures of living persons}}}}
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Signatures|WP:SIG|WP:TALKSIG}}
{{Policy section top}}
{{nutshell|Signatures are required on all talk pages to identify who made each comment, and should be added using four tildes (<code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>) if not automatically generated. They must be concise, readable to all, non-disruptive, not contain embedded files, and should never appear in articles.}}
{{Guideline list}}

'''Signing your posts''' on [[Wikipedia:Talk pages|talk pages]], both for the article and non-article [[Wikipedia:Namespace|namespaces]], is {{em|required}} to identify the author of each comment, enabling other users to engage directly with the relevant participants. This practice is necessary for maintaining clear, collaborative discussions and understanding the progression of a work.

Signatures are automatically added when using the [[mw:Talk pages project/Replying|reply tool]] or [[mw:Talk pages project/New discussion|new topic tool]]. When editing in [[WP:Wikimarkup|source text mode]] without these tools, signatures must be added manually by typing four [[tildes]] (<code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>) or selecting the signature icon <span style="background-color:white;padding:0 0.1rem">[[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg|22px]]</span> in the [[Help:Edit toolbar|edit toolbar]].

All comments on user talk pages, article talk pages, and other discussion pages must be properly signed. Persistent misuse of signatures in a disruptive manner may result in user [[WP:BP|blocks]].

Signatures {{strong|should not}} be used in [[Wikipedia:What is an article?|main namespace]] pages (i.e., Wikipedia articles), as the content is a collective effort. Highlighting a single editor's contribution above others undermines the principle that articles are the shared product of multiple contributors.

== Purpose of signatures ==
Signatures on Wikipedia identify you as a user and your contributions to Wikipedia. They encourage [[WP:CIVIL|civility]], collaboration, and communication by identifying the author of a particular comment and the date and time at which it was made. Because of that, having an uncivil signature (especially one that makes any kind of [[WP:NPA|personal attacks]] toward someone else) is ''prohibited'' and, in some cases, the user will be [[WP:BLOCK|blocked]] from editing until the signature is changed. In most cases, anything that is not allowed as an account's [[WP:UPOL|username]] (in whole or in part) is also not allowed to be in a signature either.

Furthermore, signatures also serve a technical purpose: various [[WP:SCRIPT|user scripts]] and [[WP:BOT|talk-page archiving bots]], including [[User:lowercase sigmabot III|lowercase sigmabot III]], rely on their timestamps to know when to archive old threads; to keep these tools working, it is important <strong>not</strong> to change the timestamp of signatures.

== When signatures should and should not be used ==
{{shortcut|WP:SIGNHERE}}
Any posts made to any type of discussion page {{em|must be}} signed (this does not include adding WikiProject boxes and other such administrative templates). Note that, as stated [[#How to sign your posts|below]], if you choose to edit those kinds of pages [[Wikipedia:IPs are human too|without logging in]], then you should still sign your posts—regardless of whether or not you have [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?|an account]]. Edits to articles {{em|must {{strong|not}}}} be signed, as signatures on Wikipedia are not intended to indicate [[Wikipedia:Ownership of content|ownership or authorship of any article]]. Instead, the [[Help:Page history|page history]] identifies who made edits. Signatures do not translate from <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> in edit summaries. In other instances, and when posts {{em|should not}} be signed, specific instructions are provided to specify this on the specific page. Files that are used in articles, including image and sound files, should also not contain any signatures.

== How to sign your posts ==
{{redirects here|WP:~|information about accounts starting with a tilde|Wikipedia:Temporary accounts}}
{{shortcut|WP:~|WP:SIGHOW|WP:TILDE}}
When using the [[mw:Talk pages project/Replying|reply tool]] or [[mw:Talk pages project/New discussion|new topic tool]], the software will automatically sign your post. (If you type a signature anyways, it will remove the duplicate.)
=== Preferred option ===
==== Standard signature ====
{{anchor|Using four tildes}}{{Shortcut|WP:4TILDES}}

There are three ways to sign your posts manually:

# At the end of your comments simply type four [[tilde]]s (~), like this: <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>.
# If you are using the [[Help:Edit toolbar|edit toolbar]] option (by default, it appears above the edit box), click the signature icon<ref group="Note">If your browser is set to not show pictures, the button will be called "Your signature with timestamp".  If the browser's settings don't allow JavaScript, the buttons will not appear.</ref> <span style="background-color:white;padding:0 0.1rem">[[File:OOjs UI icon signature-ltr.svg|22px]]</span> to add two hyphens and four tildes like this: <code>{{nobr|<nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>}}</code>.
# Use the [[WP:REPLYTOOL|reply tool]] or [[WP:NEWDISCUSSIONTOOL|new discussion tool]]. Both of these features will automatically insert a signature, without needing to add any wikicode.

The four tildes will be automatically replaced with your signature after you have published the changes, as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
| <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>
| <code><nowiki>[[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]])</nowiki> {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)</code><ref group="Note"> The actual code is slightly more complicated, turning the talk page link into a link to the top of one's talk page when used at one's talk page itself. It can be found at [[MediaWiki:Signature]].</ref>
| [[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]]) {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC) __NOTALK__
|}

Since typing four tildes adds the time and date to your resulting signature, this is the preferred option for signing your posts in discussions. In most talk pages, the timestamp will automatically be rendered as a [[mw:Help:DiscussionTools#Talk pages permalinking|link to the specific comment]] it is part of.<ref group="Note">If the link to the specific comment breaks, you can use [[Special:FindComment]] and [[Special:GoToComment]] as described at [[mw:Extension:DiscussionTools/How it works#Permanent links]].</ref>

Note that if you choose to [[Wikipedia:Unregistered editors are human too |contribute without logging in]], regardless of whether you have [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?|an account]], you ''must'' still sign your posts. In this case, your [[wp:temporary account|temporary account]] identifier will be used, and will link to your contributions history.<ref group="Note">For privacy reasons, this only includes contributions created on the same computer and browser, and during the last 90 days. Any other contributions you made will be located under a different identifier.</ref> This identifier will look similar to <code>~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-12345-67</code>.

If, for some reason, you are not getting the above results when signing, see the [[User talk:SineBot|SineBot Frequently Asked Questions]] for tips.

=== Other options ===
==== Using three tildes ====
{{Shortcut|WP:3TILDES}}
Typing three tildes results in the following:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
|<code><nowiki>~~~</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>[[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]])</nowiki></code>
| [[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]])
|}

This form of signature omits the timestamp. The [[WP:REPLYTOOL|reply tool]], which identifies comments using those timestamps, will not work with this form of signature. Because of this, you should not sign this way when other editors' replies can be reasonably expected.

This is also a convenient shortcut (rather than typing out the full code) when you want to provide a link to your user page.

==== Using five tildes ====
{{Shortcut|WP:5TILDES}}
Typing five tildes will convert to a date stamp with the current date and time, without adding your signature, like this:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
|<code><nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki></code>
| <code>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)</code>
| {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)
|}

In general, when communicating with others, you should use one of the previous options and not only a timestamp.  There are exceptions to this: such as when requesting assistance from the [[WP:3O|Third Opinion project]], the requested format for signing is the five tilde signature, to slightly help improve neutrality from the responding volunteer. A timestamp may also be used when updating one of your submitted posts on a talk page by appending <code><nowiki>(updated ~~~~~)</nowiki></code> to your already existing signature.

In some [[Help:Template|templates]], this is the preferred way to add the date.

== Customizing your signature ==
{{See also|Wikipedia:Signature tutorial}}
{{Shortcut|WP:CUSTOMSIG}}

Every editor's default signature (as defined by [[MediaWiki:Signature]]) will display when <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> is typed. This looks like:

<blockquote>
[[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]]) {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)
</blockquote>

Unregistered users, or users not logged in, may choose to manually sign with a pseudonym or tag (e.g. ''anon.''), as their temporary account identifier will be stored in the page history. If you choose to sign your posts in such a way, you must still finish your signature with four tildes (such as <code><nowiki>Anonymous editing as ~~~~</nowiki></code>) to help aid others with reading the thread easily, and with communicating back with you.

=== Customizing how everyone sees your signature ===
{{Shortcut|WP:FANCYSIG}}{{Anchor|CustomSig}}
<!-- obsolete image [[File:Raw signature.png|250px|thumb|Screenshot of the [[Special:Preferences]] page, containing the section '''''Raw Signature'''''.]]-->

Registered users can customize their signatures by going to [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-personal-signature|Special:Preferences]] and changing the field "Signature". This changes the signature that is left when you enter <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> into discussions. It can be used to sign your posts with a nickname, or with custom formatting, or both.

This technique only applies where you have left your signature onto a page while logged into your account. It also doesn't affect how your username appears in your watchlist, in any logs or page histories, or where someone else has added a link to your user page in a discussion. Modifying your signature in [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-personal-signature|your user preferences]] will only apply to the ''future'' signatures that you leave ''moving forward''. Since adding <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> to discussions simply results in those characters being ''replaced'' by your signature before the edit is saved, any existing signatures that you've left on previous or existing discussions will not be automatically updated or changed.

==== Treat as wiki markup ====
If you do not check the "Treat the above as wiki markup" box, the exact content you enter will be used as your signature. For example, if [[User:Example]] had set their signature to read <code><nowiki><span style="color:orange;">'''EXAMPLE'''</span></nowiki></code>, thereafter the signature (generated when they mark a post with <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code>) would be:

<blockquote>
[[User:Example|<nowiki><span style="color:orange;">'''EXAMPLE'''</span></nowiki>]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]]) {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)
</blockquote>

If you do check the "Treat the above as wiki markup" box, you can describe your signature using "raw" wikitext (such as <nowiki><span> and wiki-markup</nowiki>) which will be substituted unchanged when you sign your posts. If [[User:Example]] had set their signature to read <code><nowiki>[[User:Example|<span style="color:orange;">'''EXAMPLE'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]])</nowiki></code>, the signature generated by <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> would be:

<blockquote>
[[User:Example|<span style="color:orange;">'''EXAMPLE'''</span>]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]]) {{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)
</blockquote>
In this case, you are responsible yourself for linking to your user page (e.g. [[User:Example]]).

To visibly include the pipe (<code>|</code>) or equals (<code>=</code>) characters in your signature, you must [[Escape character|escape]] them, or they will break templates unexpectedly when your signature is present. To escape the <code>|</code> symbol, use the following special code: <code>&amp;#124;</code> (including everything from the ampersand to the semi-colon). To escape the <code>=</code> character, use <code>&amp;#61;</code>.

Putting two or more exclamation points (<code>!!</code>) in a row in your signature can break tables in which your signature appears. Use <code>&amp;#33;&amp;#33;</code> as a substitute in order to avoid having two exclamation points in a row.

A signature that starts or ends with apostrophes for bold or italics could cause problems if adjacent markup has apostrophes. If [[User:Example]] sets their signature to <code><nowiki>'''[[User:Example|Example]]'''</nowiki></code>, and then this user signs something with <code><nowiki>'''Goodbye'''~~~</nowiki></code>, this becomes <code><nowiki>'''Goodbye''''''[[User:Example|Example]]'''</nowiki></code>, which displays as '''Goodbye''''''[[User:Example|Example]]''' — rather than the desired '''Goodbye'''<nowiki/>'''[[User:Example|Example]]'''. Solve the problem by using {{tag|b}} for bold or {{tag|i}} for italics, or by moving the apostrophes inside the wikilink.

=== Customizing how you see your signature ===
To change how your signature appears to you, e.g. to make it easier to spot, without affecting how it appears to other users, you can create a personal [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS style sheet]]. For example, to display your username in bold white text on an orange background (like <span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: #ffa500; color: #ffffff;">Your username</span>), add the following to [[Special:MyPage/common.css]], replacing ''Your username'' with your actual username:

:<code><nowiki>#bodyContent a[title="User:</nowiki>''Your username''<nowiki>"] { background-color: #ffa500; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; }</nowiki></code>

When you use this technique, bright colors can help you to more quickly scan long pages that contain <code><nowiki>[[User:</nowiki>''Your&nbsp;username''<nowiki>]]</nowiki></code>, including [[Help:Talk pages|Talk pages]], [[Help:Page history|page histories]], your [[Help:Watching pages|watchlist]], and if anyone links to you in a discussion. Colors to use for this can be researched via the [[Web colors]] article, and you can update your common.css file at any time to modify the display style.

==== Guidelines and policies ====
{{shortcut|WP:CUSTOMSIG/P}}
Because these signatures are seen by everyone, be aware of the guidelines and policies summarized below:
* A customised signature should make it easy to identify your username, but this is not required.<ref group="Note">A [[Wikipedia talk:Signatures/Archive 15#RfC:_usernames_in_signatures|2021 RfC]] was closed with consensus against signatures being required to correspond exactly to usernames and no consensus to require that signatures be easily recognizable to a new user as referring to the username they link to.</ref>
* Do not impersonate other users.
* Do not use [[Wikipedia:Image use policy|images]], [[Help:Transclusion|transcluded]] [[Wikipedia:Template namespace|templates]], [[Wikipedia:Lua|Lua modules]], [[Wikipedia:Parser Functions|parser functions]], [[Wikipedia:TemplateStyles|TemplateStyles]] or [[Wikipedia:External links|external links]] in your signature.
* A distracting, confusing, or otherwise unsuitable signature may adversely affect other users. For example, some editors find that long formatting disrupts discourse on talk pages, or makes working in the edit window more difficult.
* Complicated signatures contain a lot of code ("[[WP:MARKUP|markup]]") that is revealed in the edit window, and can take up unnecessary amounts of narrative space, which can make both reading and editing harder.
* Always keep the time/date-stamp: these are used by bots to determine when a discussion is eligible to be archived.

====Syntax guidance====
If you attempt to save a signature with certain types of errors, you will see an error message. These errors can be a little tricky to diagnose, but here are some tips:
* Each opening tag must have a corresponding closing tag. Example: each {{tag|b|o}} needs a matching {{tag|b|c}}. This applies to <code><nowiki>''</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>'''</nowiki></code> markup as well.
* Tags must be "nested" correctly. Example: <code><nowiki><b>User:<i>Example</i></b></nowiki></code>, not <code><nowiki><b>User:<i>Example</b></i></nowiki></code>. 
* If an opening tag appears within a wikilink, it must be closed within a wikilink. Example: <code><nowiki>[[User:'''Example''']]</nowiki></code>, not <code><nowiki>[[User:'''Example]]'''</nowiki></code>.
* Your signature must include a link to your user page, talk page, or contributions. At least one of the three must be on the same Wikimedia project as the page where the signature is used.<ref group="Note">[[mw:New requirements for user signatures#Require a link to user page, talk page or contributions]]</ref> (This is a technical requirement enforced by the MediaWiki software.)

=== Signature forgery ===
{{Policy|type=section|WP:SIGFORGE|WP:FORGERY}}
{{strong|Never use another editor's signature.}} Impersonating another editor by using their username or signature is forbidden. Altering the markup code of your signature to make it look substantially like another user's signature may also be considered a form of impersonation. Editing the code of your signature to link it to another editor's user page is not permitted. It is also ineffective, as the change log of the page records the identifier or (if applicable) username of all editors; as such, any impersonators can easily be caught if the signature in the ''diff'' view differs from the editor's default signature. While not an absolute requirement, it is common practice for a signature to resemble to some degree the username it represents.

If you encounter a user whose signature is disruptive or appears to be impersonating another account, it is appropriate to ask that user to consider changing their signature to meet the requirements of this policy. When making such a request, always be polite, and [[WP:Good faith|assume good faith]]; do not immediately assume that the user has intentionally selected a disruptive or inappropriate signature. If {{em|you}} are asked to change your signature, please avoid interpreting a polite request as an attack. Since the success of Wikipedia is based on effective teamwork, both parties should work together to find a mutually acceptable solution.

=== Appearance and color ===
{{Policy|type=section|WP:SIGAPP}}
{{nutshell|title=This section|Ensure that your signature is clear, easily readable, and does not disrupt other editors.}}
'''Your signature must not blink, scroll, or otherwise cause inconvenience to or annoy other editors.'''
* Avoid markup such as {{Tag|big|o}} and {{Tag|span|params=style="font-size: 200%;"|o}}<sup>(or more)</sup> tags (which {{Big|enlarge}} text); this is likely to disrupt the way that surrounding text displays.
* Do not add line breaks ({{Tag|br|s}}), which can also negatively affect nearby text display. The use of [[non-breaking space]]s or <code><sp<nowiki />an&nbsp;class="[[WP:NOWRAP|nowrap]]"></code> to ensure that the signature displays on one line is recommended.
* Be sparing with [[subscript and superscript]]. In some cases, this type of script can also affect the way that surrounding text is displayed.
* Do not make your signature so small that it is difficult to read.
* As some users have vision problems, be conscious of color and contrast issues. If you use different colors in your signature, please ensure that the result will be readable by people with [[color blindness]], defective color vision, and other visual disabilities.<ref group="Note">The [[Web Content Accessibility Guidelines]] specify a [[contrast ratio]] of {{em|at least}} 4.5:1 for text, and {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Color}} requires 7:1 "where feasible". To use named CSS colors on a white background, refer to [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility/CSS colors for text on white]] for recommended colors. For other usage, use this [https://webaim.org/resources/linkcontrastchecker/?fcolor=202122&bcolor=FFFFFF&lcolor=3333FF Link contrast checker] to help determine if the colors will be visible to everyone. Signatures do not always appear on white or black backgrounds. Other colors for calculations range from the [[Wikipedia:Skin|Monobook skin's]] very pale blue ({{Color box|#F8FCFF|#F8FCFF}}) to the closed discussion [[Template:hat|Hidden archive]] tan ({{Color box|#F2DFCE|#F2DFCE}}) title bar. Other tools for checking contrast are described at {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|Color}}.</ref>
* Do not include horizontal rules (<code><nowiki>----</nowiki></code> or {{Tag|hr|s}}).
* Do not include {{tag|div}}s because those cause the surrounding text to make a new line.
For guidance on how to use color and other effects to customize the appearance of your signature, see [[Wikipedia:Signature tutorial|this tutorial]].

Signature formatting has been the subject of numerous [[WP:RFC|Requests for Comment]], and has also resulted in some very heated debates. When dealing with potentially problematic signatures, simply being [[WP:POLITE|polite]] is often sufficient and can prevent the situation from escalating into a [[WP:DISPUTE|dispute]]. You can use [[Template:Uw-sigapp]] to warn users who have potentially problematic signatures.

=== Borrowing designs ===
Editors do not [[WP:OWN|own]] the design of their signature and cannot prohibit others from borrowing it. However, because signature customization is intended in part to make it easier to tell editors apart, it is considered good practice when borrowing a signature design to change the color or another design element.

=== Font tags ===
{{shortcut|WP:SIGFONT}}
{{tag|font}} tags were deprecated in [[HTML4]] and are entirely obsolete in [[HTML5]]. This means that the popular browsers may drop support for them at some point. Wikipedia is already preparing for this by [[lint (software)|delinting]] code project-wide through [[Wikipedia:Linter|Linter]], and by [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)&oldid=1192094205#RfC:_disallowing_new_signatures_obsolete_tags disallowing obsolete tags in new signatures]. When support is finally dropped, the tags will be ignored in all existing signatures; any properties such as color and font family will revert to their default values. For this reason, it is recommended that you use {{tag|span}} tags and CSS properties instead. For usage examples, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Signature tutorial|Real-life examples}}. You may request additional coding assistance at [[Wikipedia:Help desk]].

When you change your signature, it does not affect signatures that you used on pages in the past. Therefore, if you currently use {{tag|font}} tags in your signature, switching to {{tag|span}} tags now will reduce the number of your signatures (including those in the archives of talk spaces) that will render incorrectly after the browsers drop support for {{tag|font}}. Moreover, [[Wikipedia:Refactoring talk pages|refactoring]] old signatures from you and other users (including in archive pages) by changing {{tag|font|o}} tags to {{tag|span|o}} tags can help prepare the project for this eventual loss of support.

=== Images ===
{{See also|Phabricator:T68006}}
{{Policy|type=section|WP:SIGIMAGE}}
{{strong|Images of any kind must not be used in signatures}} for the following reasons.
* Excessive or large images can cause issues for users on low-performance devices.
* A new image can be uploaded in place of the one you chose, making your signature a target for possible vandalism.
* They make pages more difficult to read and scan.
* They make it more difficult to copy text from a page.
* They are potentially distracting from the actual content.
* Images do not scale with the text, making the lines with images higher than those without them.
* They clutter up the "file links" list on the respective image's page every time one signs on a different talk page.
* Images in signatures give undue prominence to a given user's contribution.

[[Unicode symbols]] (including [[emoji]]) may be used in your signature, as long as the signature complies with the other guidelines on this page.

=== <span id="LENGTH"></span> Length ===
{{Shortcut|WP:SIGLEN|WP:SIGLENGTH}}
{{strong|Keep signatures short, both in display and in markup.}}

The limit is '''255 characters'''.

Extremely long signatures with a lot of HTML/wiki markup make page editing and discussion more difficult for the following reasons:
* Signatures that take up more than two or three lines in the edit window clutter the page and make it harder to distinguish posts from signatures.
* Long signatures give undue prominence to a given user's contribution.
* Signatures that occupy more space than necessary in the edit box displace meaningful comments, thus forcing editors to scroll when writing their replies.
* The presence of such long signatures in the discussion also disrupts the reading of comments when editors are formulating their replies.

The software will automatically truncate both plain and raw signatures to 255 characters of {{em|code}} in the Signature field. If [[#NT|substitution]] of templates or another page is used, please be careful to verify that your signature does not violate the 255-character length limit when the templates are expanded, as the software will not do this automatically.

=== Overriding custom signatures ===
==== <span id="Signature minimisation"></span>Unclutter signature minimiser ====
[[File:Keφr's Unclutter signature minimiser.png|thumb|right|Custom-styled Unclutter and [[Wikipedia:Comments in Local Time|Comments in Local Time]] reformatting signatures and timestamps in a Wikipedia discussion.]]
If you prefer not to see other users' custom signatures, you can use the custom [[JavaScript]] module ''Unclutter''. By default, Unclutter scans non-special non-article pages for timestamped signatures, wraps them up and replaces with a text of the form:

: <span class="plainlinks" style="background: rgba(0,0,0,.05); color: inherit">— [[User:Example|Example]] (annotation) <small>([[User talk:Example|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Example|ctb]] • [[Special:Log/Example|act]] • [{{fullurl:Special:Log|page=User:Example}} log] • [[#Signature minimisation|sig]])</small></span>

This technique displays the actual username to you and is extensively configurable. It doesn't affect how anyone else sees the signatures. See [[User:Kephir/gadgets/unclutter]] for more details.

While this script works in practice for most signatures found on the English Wikipedia, there are [[User:Kephir/gadgets/unclutter#Limitations|several unavoidable limitations]] which make Unclutter fail to recognise every possible signature. Signatures which violate policies laid out on this page may not be recognised. Unclutter is not an excuse to violate or decline to enforce the signature policy.

==== Using custom CSS ====
[[File:manage enwiki signatures with css - thumbnail.png|thumb|right|Overriding custom signature formatting ([[:File:manage enwiki signatures with css.png|→more examples]])]]
It's also possible to use your personal [[Special:MyPage/common.css|common.css]] style sheet to override the formatting of other users' signatures.

This allows you to decide how links to user pages should be displayed to you when you are logged-in. For example, you could highlight <span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: #6633ff; color: #ffffff;">Your username</span> in bold reversed mauve and <span style="font-weight: normal; color: #6633ff; ">Other signatures</span> in normal mauve. This approach works by reversing a variety of commonly used signature formatting techniques, but it doesn't attempt to replace the text content of the signature. For example, if <code>[[User:Example]]</code> has customized their signature to read <span style="background-color: #804; color: #fa0;">Ex</span><span style="font-weight: normal; background-color: inherit; color: #5b2;">@</span><span style="font-style: italic; background-color: #804; color: #fa0;">mple</span>, changing the formatting would display <span style="font-weight: normal; color: #6633ff; ">Ex@mple</span> rather than their actual name <span style="font-weight: normal; color: #6633ff; ">Example</span>.

No other users will see your custom effects. You can remove or modify them at any time by changing the instructions in your style sheet. The change will apply to all pages regardless of how old they may be. For an example stylesheet, see [[User:Pointillist/reformat-signatures.css]].

== <span id="LINK"></span>Links ==
{{shortcut|WP:SIGLINK}}
=== Internal links ===

Signatures must include at least one direct internal link to your [[Wikipedia:User pages|user page]], user talk page, or contributions page; this allows other editors easy access to your talk page and contributions log. The lack of such a link is widely viewed as obstructive.

If, while making modifications, you accidentally disable this link, see [[Help:How to fix your signature]]. When you insert your signature on your talk page or user page, a link to that page will appear black, bold and inactive, so test your signature elsewhere, such as the [[Wikipedia:Sandbox|sandbox]].

=== <span id="DL"></span>Disruptive links ===
{{shortcut|WP:SIG#DL}}
It is better to put information on your user page rather than in your signature. Brief additional internal links are generally tolerated when used to facilitate communication or to provide general information, but undesirable if seen as [[Wikipedia:canvassing|canvassing]] for some purpose.

Do not place any disruptive internal links (especially when combined with custom formatting, for example <span style="color:#002BB8; cursor:pointer; vertical-align:super;" title="This is just an example, and does not link to anything">CLICK HERE!!!</span>) in your signature.

=== <span id="EL"></span>External links ===
{{shortcut|WP:SIG#EL}}
{{strong|Do not include links to external websites in your signature.}}

Mass posting of links to a particular website is strongly discouraged on Wikipedia. Posting a link to an external website with each comment you make on a talk page could be taken as link spamming, or an attempt to improve your website's ranking on search engines (which doesn't actually work in the first place). If you want to tell other Wikipedians about a website with which you are associated, you can do so on your user page.

<div id="NoTemplates"><div id="NT">

===Transclusion of templates (or other pages)===
{{shortcut|WP:SIG#NoTemplates|WP:SIG#NT}}
* [[Wikipedia:Transclusion|Transclusions]] of [[Wikipedia:Template namespace|templates]], [[WP:LUA|Lua modules]], [[mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions|parser functions]], and [[Wikipedia:TemplateStyles|TemplateStyles]] in signatures (like those which appear as <code><nowiki>{{User:Name/sig}}</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>{{#invoke:...}}</nowiki></code>, <code><nowiki>{{#if:...}}</nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki><templatestyles ... /></nowiki></code>) are forbidden for the following reasons:
** Certain automated scripts (bots) are used to automatically archive particularly active talk pages. These bots read the source of the talk page, but don't transclude templates, and so don't recognize the template as a signature.
** Signature templates are vandalism targets, and will be forever, even if the user leaves the project.
** Signature templates are a small but unnecessary drain on the servers. Transcluded signatures require extra processing—whenever you change your signature source, all talk pages you have posted on must be [[Web cache|re-cached]].
** [[WP:PING|User mention notifications]] will not work if the mentioning user's signature is contained in a template.
** If you try to use a transcluded signature, it will automatically be converted to <nowiki>{{SUBST:User:Name/sig}}</nowiki>. Do not attempt to circumvent this.
* [[WP:SUBST|Substitutions]] of templates in signatures is permissible but <u>discouraged</u>, as the template that is substituted may be vandalized without the user knowing.
** Users who choose to substitute their signature are {{strong|required}} to be {{strong|highly vigilant}} of their signature whenever they sign.
** Substitution must not be used to circumvent the normal restrictions on signature content, including the use of [[#Images|images]], [[#Appearance and color|obnoxious markup]], or [[#LENGTH|excessive length]].

Simple text signatures, which are stored along with the page content and use no more resources than the comments themselves, avoid these problems.
</div></div>
<div id="NoCAT">

=== Categories ===
{{shortcut|WP:SIG#NoCAT}}
Signatures must not contain [[Help:Category|categories]]. Categorizing talk pages by who has edited them is unhelpful, and the same information can be found by using [[Help:User contributions|your contributions list]]. Many of the various [[Wikipedia:WikiProject edit counters|edit counting utilities]] also provide this data.
</div>
<div id="Non-Latin"><div id="NL">

== Non-Latin usernames ==
{{see also|Wikipedia:Username policy#Usernames with non-Latin characters|Wikipedia:Unified login}}
{{shortcut|WP:NLS|WP:SIG#NL|WP:SIG#Non-Latin}}
{{Transcluded section|Wikipedia:Username policy#Usernames with non-Latin characters}}
{{#section:Wikipedia:Username policy|UNPOL}}

A signature consisting of, or ending with, characters from a right-to-left script will appear (in modern browsers) when viewing pages as
:''--DD ,HH:MM NAME Month YYYY (UTC)''
e.g.,
: --{{CURRENTDAY}} ,{{CURRENTTIME}} &lrm;שֵׁם&lrm; {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)
and similarly misordered text in the edit box. Adding a [[Left-to-right mark|left-to-right marker symbol]], at the end of the raw signature (HTML code: <code>&amp;lrm;</code>), will resolve this. Or, if you include both Latin and a right-to-left script, such as Hebrew or Arabic, in your signature, consider putting Latin second, where it will be directly next to the timestamp.
</div></div>

== Dealing with unsigned comments ==
{{Redirect|WP:UNSIGNED|the actual template|Template:Unsigned}}
{{shortcut|WP:UNSIGNED}}
The template {{tls|unsigned}}{{show by date|2026|6|25|<ref group="Note">{{t|Unsigned2}}, {{t|Unsigned IP}}, {{t|UnsignedIP2}}, and {{t|xsign}} were merged on 25 May 2025. You can now use {{t|unsigned}} instead of any of these templates, and it will automatically format the result as needed.</ref>}} can be used at the end of an unsigned comment to attach the username or temp account to the comment. Note that this template does <strong>not</strong> automatically populate (fill in) the username or temp account of the poster or the time of the post. That information is best copied from the history page and pasted into the following templates. You should always [[WP:SUBST|substitute]] this template.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>username or temp account</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|Example}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned|Example|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>username or temp account</var><nowiki>|</nowiki><var>date</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|Example|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned|Example|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>temp account</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>~{{CURRENTYEAR}}<nowiki>-11111-11}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned|~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-11111-11|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>temp account</var><nowiki>|</nowiki><var>date</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>~{{CURRENTYEAR}}<nowiki>-11111-11|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned|~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-11111-11|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>date</var><nowiki>|</nowiki><var>username or temp account</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)<nowiki>|Example}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned2|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)|Example|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>date</var><nowiki>|</nowiki><var>temp account</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}<nowiki>|</nowiki>~{{CURRENTYEAR}}<nowiki>-11111-11}}</nowiki></code>
|{{unsigned|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}|~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-11111-11|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>date/username string</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} Example}}</code>
|{{xsign|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} Example|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki><var>date/temp account string</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:unsigned|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} ~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-11111-11}}</code>
|{{xsign|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} ~{{CURRENTYEAR}}-11111-11|demo=yes}}
|}

It is also a good idea to notify users, especially new users, that they should sign their comments. You may use the template {{tl|uw-tilde}} on the user's talk page or one of the [[Wikipedia:Template messages/User talk namespace#Welcoming new users|welcome messages]] for new users.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:uw-tilde}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:uw-tilde}}</nowiki></code>
|{{uw-tilde|demo=yes}}
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:uw-tilde|</nowiki><var>Article</var><nowiki>|</nowiki><var>Additional text</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:uw-tilde|</nowiki>Article name<nowiki>|</nowiki>Comments go here.}}</code>
|{{uw-tilde|Article name|Comments go here.|demo=yes}}
|}

Also, the template {{tl|undated}} can be used at the end of comments where the user gave their username but no timestamp:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikimarkup !! Resulting code !! Resulting display
|-
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:undated|</nowiki><var>date</var><nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|<code><nowiki>{{subst:undated|</nowiki>{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>
|{{undated|{{CURRENTTIME}}, {{CURRENTDAY}} {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} (UTC)|demo=yes}}
|}

=== Automatic adding of signatures ===

The [[wp:bots|bot]] [[User:SineBot|SineBot]] signs comments on talk pages and pages in [[:Category:Non-talk pages that are automatically signed]], for unregistered users and users who have fewer than 800 edits. To re-enable autosigning of your unsigned comments, you can place {{tl|YesAutosign}} on your [[wp:user page|user page]] or user talk page.

== Dealing with problematic signatures ==
{{shortcut|WP:SIGPROB}}
Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Username policy|Username policy]] describes accepted practices and behavior in naming and operating a user account on Wikipedia that apply to both usernames and signatures. A purpose of your signature is to identify you as a contributor. If your signature is unnecessarily confusing, editors may request that you change it. Our guidelines for talk page usage also [[WP:TPO|permit editors to change signatures that contravene this guideline back to the standard form]]. An editor with a confusing signature may be blocked sooner than usual for other inappropriate behavior such as disruption or vandalism, if their confusing signature contributes to the disruption.

{{anchor|confusing}}Signatures that link to, but do not display, the user's username (for example by signing with a nickname, as in <kbd><nowiki>[[User:Example|User:Nickname]]</nowiki></kbd> or <kbd><nowiki>[[User:Example|Nickname]]</nowiki></kbd>) can be confusing for editors (particularly newcomers). The actual username always appears in the page history, so using just the nickname on the relevant talk page can make your signed comments appear to be from a different person. Alternatives include [[WP:CHU|changing your username]] and including your account name in addition to the username, e.g., in the form <kbd><nowiki>[[User:Example|Example]]/Nickname</nowiki></kbd>.

The timestamp must adhere to the system-generated format (<code>HH:MM, D MM YYYY (UTC)</code>) and must not be customized. This is necessary for clear communications and for archiving bots to function correctly<!-- as well as gadgets and DiscussionTools -->. Timestamps that are customized may be considered disruptive and editors using them may be blocked accordingly.

Persistent failure to sign after being reminded may become disruptive and be subject to sanctions.

==History==
[[UseModWiki]], the wiki software in use on the English Wikipedia from its inception to 25 January 2002, did not have markup to create a signature, so signatures had to be made manually where desired. (c.f., for example, several such signatures in [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Larry_Sanger/old&oldid=6644889 this diff] ''et al.'') The modern tilde feature was a part of the earliest MediaWiki coding from mid-2001; the original developer of MediaWiki, [[User:Magnus Manske|Magnus Manske]], intended it to resemble scribbled physical signatures like that of his father.<ref group="Note">See [https://web.archive.org/web/20190509070733/https://twitter.com/MagnusManske/status/1083507467802365952 this Twitter <!-- It was called Twitter at the time --> exchange] for further information.</ref> Images in signatures have been banned since 2006, but had been discouraged beforehand.

In the very early days of Wikipedia, text contributions to articles were sometimes signed at the end (allowing readers to see them). The first ever revision to the page [[WikiPedia]], from 15 January 2001, indicated that "You can [write an article] anonymously or give yourself credit," and indeed several pages from early 2001 have signatures at the end of them, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AlchemY&oldid=233236 here] and [https://reagle.org/joseph/2010/wp/redux/TestThreePhasePumps/981560160.html here]. This stopped being allowed pretty soon after, for obvious reasons.

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:Signature tutorial]]
* [[Help:Editing shortcuts]]
* [[Template:Uw-tilde]] – Note for talk page for user to sign comments
* [[Wikipedia:Use a custom signature]] (essay)
* [[Wikipedia:Use the default signature]] (essay)
* [[User:Kephir/gadgets/unclutter|Unclutter]] – for those tired of fancy signatures
* [[toolforge:signatures]] signature check

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}

[[Category:Wikipedia how-to]]
[[Category:Wikipedia discussion]]
[[Category:Wikipedia project content guidelines]]