In the course of daily operations, substantial numbers of users and IP addresses are blocked, mainly due to persistent vandalism and edit warring. Such users frequently wish to be unblocked.

As do many websites, Wikipedia administrators occasionally block accounts and IP ranges that are deemed responsible for or related to problematic activity. You may be an innocent victim of collateral damage, whereby a block of some other activity has accidentally caused your account to be inaccessible. Alternatively, your account or IP may have been identified by an administrator as responsible for or related to misuse, or some other breach of policy.

If your account has been blocked by mistake, it will be reactivated very quickly, as soon as you let an administrator know of the problem. Otherwise, there is a rapid appeal process which obtains quick review by other independent administrators, and brief discussion of the matter. The box above gives the information you will need in either case, as provided by the blocking administrator.

What is a block?

• A block is a measure used to protect Wikipedia from possible improper use, or modification in breach of editorial policies. Once blocks are over, they become history unless problems recur. Blocks can apply to a user account, an IP, or a range of IPs. A number of automated features identify unblocked usage which apparently should be blocked; this can be quickly rectified if incorrect.

Question. I've never done anything wrong and I was blocked! Please advise.

• Do you use an ISP or web accelerator that involves shared IPs? Common examples include AOL, Comcast, StarHub, schools, colleges, or Google Web Accelerator. If so, you may have been affected by collateral damage. If you are using AOL (or any ISP listed above), please see our advice to AOL users. If you are using Google Web Accelerator (or any other web accelerator that uses shared IPs), please disable it for this site by following these instructions.

Question. It says I've been "autoblocked" because of another person whom I don't even know! What do I do?

• See Wikipedia:Autoblock for an explanation. If you use a shared ISP (namely AOL, Comcast, StarHub, schools, colleges, etc.), you may be affected by collateral damage from other users who have edited disruptively. An administrator will sort this out as soon as it's drawn to their awareness - please follow the instructions under the "Autoblocked?" section on your block page, or alternatively here.

Question. I want to edit Wikipedia, but I keep getting blocked because of others on the same network as me. What do I do?

• If you are an unregistered user, it's recommended that you create an account. Shared IP addresses such as school and company networks or proxy servers are frequently blocked for vandalism which often affects many innocent editors on the same network. However, registered users in good standing can request existing blocks on their IP address be "softened" to only affect anonymous editors on their network so that they may continue contributing. See also Wikipedia:Why create an account?

• Note: If your IP address is blocked, you may need to create your account at home or on another computer.
• Note: Many rotating IP addresses of ISPs practising shared IP addresses are blocked as being "proxies" or "zombies" because of the large number of different users sharing the IP. On these computers, logged-in users will be autoblocked immediately. If you encounter such a case, please follow the unblocking request steps or consult an administrator.

Instructions for requesting an unblock are given on your block page. A quick way to see it again is by trying to edit the Wikipedia:Sandbox by clicking here. If you are not blocked from editing the sandbox then your block has already expired or been lifted and you need not do anything more.

Note for others seeking to help blocked users: The template for the message seen by blocked users is viewable at MediaWiki:Blockedtext. At present it contains the following instructions for requesting unblocking:

Current unblock message.

This account has been blocked from editing Wikipedia. This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages. The account $7 has been blocked by $1 for the following reason(s): $2 This block will expire on $6. Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors. For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful. Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked

When a block is appealed, other editors - most of whom probably have no involvement in the matter - will review your editing history, which has been logged, as well as the reason for the block and the history leading up to it.

Editors with administrator access will strongly avoid wheel warring, that is, overriding each other's decisions, in almost all cases, since this is in itself a serious breach of administrator policy. For this reason, blocks will not usually be allowed to become a source of conflict; rather, consensus will be sought, by means of a fair and objective examination of the matter and of any policies alleged to have been breached.

The routes to resolve a block are agreement by the blocking admin, a (very rare) override by other admins in the case that the block was clearly unjustifiable, or appeal to the Arbitration committee to make a formal ruling on the matter.

• If there is agreement that you may have been blocked unfairly, you may be directly unblocked (if the block was clearly and obviously a mistake), but this is very rare unless there genuinely were no prospective grounds for the block. Usually the blocking admin's judgement is respected if there is any question of doubt.
• You may be unblocked if the blocking admin changes their mind or can't be reached, and an unblock is considered reasonable.
• When you are unblocked, you may then follow the dispute resolution process if you believe that you were treated unfairly.
• If an unblocking needs discussion, reaching a consensus usually takes several days.

Appeal to the Arbitration Committee

In principle, any blocked user may appeal their block to the Arbitration committee as a last resort, after other attempts to have the block lifted have failed. In practice, the Arbitration committee rarely (if ever) hears cases involving short-term blocks, since most arbitration cases take at least 4 weeks to reach a final decision. Allegations that an administrator has acted improperly by making a block can be dealt with more efficiently by the dispute resolution process after the block has expired.

Indefinite blocks (that amount to a ban from Wikipedia) may be appealed to the Arbitration Committee. Banned users should not create new accounts, or sockpuppets to file an appeal. Rather, they should contact a member of the committee or an Arbitration clerk by email and ask that a request be filed on their behalf. Generally speaking, the banned user will make the request on his or her talk page, which will be copied to WP:RFAR by a clerk. In some cases, a banned user may be unblocked for the sole purpose of filing an appeal. In such cases, editing of other pages is grounds for immediate re-blocking.

In highly unusual cases, you may wish to utilize the dispute resolution process while you are still blocked. To do so, you may contact other Wikipedians by email, or by editing your talk page (which you may do even while blocked).

A usual block prevents users from editing all pages except their user talk page. Users are allowed to retain editing access to their user talk page, in order to have a chance for appeal, and so that they are not shut out completely and are able to participate at least to some degree in Wikipedia, whilst the block is active.

Upon a request to seek arbitration, editing access may be restored to a limited number of other pages (such as those connected with their appeal) pending the formal decision, so that the matter (and any evidence, facts, mitigating circumstances, or corrections) can be presented as well.

A minority of editors who are blocked use these privileges poorly, for personal attack or to play games and make a point. Inevitably the response to such actions is simple - editing access is blocked in its entirety and without further discussion, whereas if the user had been responsible and reasonable, an entirely different result might well have happened.

Wikipedia blocks are usually warnings only, and once over and learned from, unless repeated, they are in the past. Wikipedia and its administrators and arbitration committee have a real wish for everyone who is capable of acting responsibly to be able to enjoy editing.

Users who are blocked are asked to use this as a chance to reflect, an opportunity to show their understanding and ability to act responsibly, and a period of time to let the matter pass and be learned from.