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 | This page is considered anofficial policy on Wikimedia Commons. It has wide acceptance among editors and is considered a standard that everyone must follow. Except for minor edits (such as fixing typos, or bringing information up to date), please make use of thediscussion page to propose changes to this policy. |
This page sets out thedeletion policy of Wikimedia Commons. For simplicity, images, sound files, videos, source files and other files are referred to as “files”, and galleries, categories, templates, talk and other pages are referred to as “pages”. This page does not explain copyright issues and the Commons licensing policy. SeeCommons:Licensing instead.
There are three main deletion procedures. These are applied in different cases, depending on the reason for deletion:
In all cases consider usingGlobalUsage to get some idea of where images are in use before deletion.
The speedy deletion tag{{Copyvio}} is for obvious copyright violations. Use{{copyvio|1=Reason}} or{{copyvio|source=URL}} to explain why it’s a copyright violation. Note that if a media file or article is a suspected but not clear copyright violation (including all copyrighted works in public spaces), it should be placed onCommons:Deletion requests.
If there is somelicensing information missing, then the file gets tagged as missing information and the uploader is informed and given 7 days time to correct the problem. After this period the file can be deleted by an admin on sight without further debate, if the information is indeed missing. All affected (tagged) files can be found belowCategory:Missing legal information.
Filesmissing source or licensing information should be tagged with one of the following messages.
Please notify the uploaders that you have tagged the file as well (see notes on the templates after tagging a file with them). After this they will have 7 days to fix the information.
If after this period of time sufficient license and source information is provided, the tag should be removed. If it is not fixed, the file is then eligible for speedy deletion. However, you should not list such files for deletion or speedy deletion. Because they are tagged by date, an administrator can automatically see which ones are eligible for deletion by navigating subcategories ofCategory:Missing legal information.
PerCommons licensing policy,Wikimedia Commons accepts only free content, that is, images and other media files that can be used by anyone, anytime, for any purpose. Commons also does not host “fair use” copies of non-free content (seeCommons:Fair use), other than some non-free symbols of theWMF projects.
A file or page can be listed for deletion onCommons:Deletion requests in the following cases:
The tag{{Speedydelete}} is available for speedy deletion nominations where there is not a more specific speedy deletion tag. Don't forget to add a reason like this:{{speedydelete|Reason}}. Such cases include:
A violation of theprivacy policy.
"Out of scope" files/pages should normally be listed atCommons:Deletion requests.
The file is notrealistically useful for an educational purpose. Examples of files that are not realistically useful include:
Commons respects the legal rights of the subjects of our photographs and has a moral obligation to behave ethically with regard to photographs of people. This means certain photographs are unacceptable on Commons without appropriate consent from the subject. SeeCommons:Photographs of identifiable people.
Even when not required to do so for legal or other policy reasons, Commons may at timeschoose to delete images, for example as a goodwill gesture to a photographer who has made a mistake. For the respective guideline, seeCommons:Courtesy deletions.
The tag{{Speedydelete}} is available for speedy deletion nominations where there is not a more specific speedy deletion tag. Don't forget to add a reason like this:{{speedydelete|Reason}}. Such cases include:
Files/pages should be listed atCommons:Deletion requests if
If the file is of the same file type and you're sure that it has exactly the same content (colours, quality, etc), tag it with{{duplicate|File:example.jpg}} and give for the parameter (File:example.jpg) the file that can replace this duplicate file.
Files that are not of the same file type are not duplicates, but instead possibly redundant (see below), and require adeletion request.
Exact duplicates of a file are listed at the bottom of the description page by the MediaWiki software.
Note: if it is a work that is very similar (or identical) to another, but not an exact duplicate, it’s aredundant file, which mandates a different procedure. See below.
Redundant or low-quality files only get deleted on a case-by-case basis after they are listed atCommons:Deletion requests. At deletion requests you will need to provide reasons why a particular file is inferior to the alternative version (for more information, seeCommons talk:Superseded images policy).
Before requesting a low-quality or redundant file for deletion, make sure that the file is not in use anymore by usingGlobalUsage. You may replace uses of the file on local projects by superior versions, subject to the local project’s policies. If at the end of the discussion period a deletion is agreed upon and the file is still not in use, it can be deleted.
| Template | Usage |
|---|---|
| For speedy deletion | |
| {{Duplicate}} | For files that are exactly the same or scaled down. |
| {{Bad name}} | Use this one if YOU have uploaded a file under a bad name. |
| For replacement | |
| {{Superseded}} | If abetter file of the same theme was uploaded. |
| {{SupersededPNG}} | Use for GIF & JPEG that have been superseded by PNG. |
| {{Vector version available}} | Use for raster images that have been superseded by an SVG. |
| {{Technically replaced}} | Use for SVG (usually) that have been replaced with an inferior file. |
| {{Original}} | To protect the original file. |
In case of a redundant page (not file), consider simply making it a redirect.
See also:Commons:Criteria for speedy deletion.There are certain instances when a file needs to be "speedy deleted" and under which anadministrator can delete pages, images and other files on sight. For some cases there are specific speedy deletion tags (see above); otherwise, the generic tag{{Speedydelete}} is available. Don't forget to add a reason like this:{{speedydelete|Reason}} (seeCommons:Criteria for speedy deletion for acceptable criteria).
The{{Copyvio}} template is an often-used speedy deletion tag used for files that are obvious, blatant copyright violations. Place the template at the top of the file's page, using:{{copyvio|1=Reason|source=URL}}. The source URL parameter is optional. After saving it, click on the template where it says "Click here to show further instructions", and copy the displayed{{Copyvionote}} template to the end of the uploader's talk page to notify them. A new section will be created automatically.
An administrator will delete the file/page in due time. If anyone disagrees with the speedy deletion of a particular file, please convert to aregular deletion request (see below). Always make sure that all local links to a file or page are corrected and updated before deletion. The files/pages listed for speedy deletion are included automatically inCategory:Candidates for speedy deletion and its subcategories.
Please always remember: Before deleting images in speedy deletion, make sure that the user has placed it there in accordance with these deletion guidelines. If not, please modify the template, moving it off of this page. Always check the file history to determine that the proper image description has not been vandalised.
When speedy-deleting files, it is suggested but not required to runGlobalUsage in order to fix uses on Wikimedia projects.
In some cases a file may be tagged with a “problem tag”, and will be deleted if the problem is not resolved after a certain time (typically 7 days). See for example "#Missing legal information" above.
Nominate for deletion link in the lefthand “Tools” menu.(Requires Javascript)The “regular deletion” process involves starting a deletion discussion on a separate page, for which there is a standard schema, and listing the debate atCommons:Deletion requests. A “nominate for deletion” link in the lefthand toolbox is available (it requires Javascript to work) to make it easy to list files/pages atCommons:Deletion requests. This can also be done manually, however: the file/page is marked for deletion by adding{{delete|reason|day=16|month=December|year=2025}} template (replace reason by yours) and then it must be listed onCommons:Deletion requests; also, the uploader should be informed of the impending deletion.
The file/page may be deleted on decision by an admin if there were good reasons given in the debate for doing so. Always make sure that all local links to a file or page are corrected and updated before deletion. When deleting a file from deletion requests, it is good practice to runGlobalUsage and orphan the usage of that file. More information can be found onCommons:Deletion requests, and the files/pages listed for deletion are included in theCategory:Deletion requests.
If you wish to nominate multiple items for deletion for the same reason (a mass request or mass nomination), please seeCommons:Deletion requests/Mass deletion request.
Regular deletion requests are separate pages that aretranscluded in other pages. Therefore if you wish to add one or several categories to a deletion request you should place the category or categories in the wikitext between<noinclude> and</noinclude> for the purpose that the category or categories apply only to the deletion request concerned. See also:Help:Noinclude, includeonly, and onlyinclude.
In general, requests can be closed by an administrator after seven days. Deletion requests for obvious copyright violations can be closed earlier. Problematic or complex requests (such as highly used templates) can wait longer – even for several months if necessary. Non-admins may close a deletion request as keep if they have a good understanding of the process, and provided the closure is not controversial. If in doubt, don't do it.
In addition, no user may close a deletion request asKept which includes media they have uploaded.
Administrators are encouraged to check whether the uploader was notified on their talk page of the pending deletion request (unless the image is an obvious violation, in which case the image can be speedy deleted).
Deletion request pages are closed with{{Delh}} (DeletionHeader) at the top, with a signed summary of the resultkept ordeleted between a horizontal ruler ---- and the{{Delf}} (DeletionFooter) at the bottom. For a kept page{{Kept}} can be used on its talk page as pointer to the closedDR.
To appeal debates of image not deleted, you might first want to discuss with the admin who closed the discussion. If you believe the deletion was done in error, appealing deleted images can be done atCommons:Undeletion requests.
If the decision was correctly based on the currentlicensing andproject scope pages, you should express your dissatisfaction on a respective page.
If a category should be renamed to better name or merged as a duplicate category, you can use{{move|target category name|reason|date}} as a change request. Please do not blank categories as this generally needs more checking work to avoid needless emptying of categories and vandalism.
If the name of an abandoned (emptied) category is not incorrect, misspelled nor misleading, it should be not deleted, but “redirected” using{{category redirect|new name}} or changed to a disambiguation page by{{Disambig}}.
Misspelled or misleading emptied old categories can be speedily deleted. SeeCommons:Rename a category. Categories that are empty and obviously unusable for the future (unlikely to be ever meaningfully used) can generally be deleted byspeedy deletion. If possible, the deletion summary should contain a click-able link to the category (categories) where the previous content was moved.
If neither of the above cases apply, an entry can be placed atCommons:Categories for discussion (follow the link for instructions on how to do this).