Help:Temporary accounts

Wikimedia projects allow anyone to edit, with or without creating an account. When an edit is made through a registered account, the edit is attributed to the respective account in various logs and pages like Recent Changes or page history. Similarly, when an edit is made without an account, the edit is attributed to an auto-generated temporary account. A temporary account is created on behalf of the logged-out editor and lasts for a period of 90 days. All subsequent edits by the same device will be attributed to the same temporary account.

Why are temporary accounts necessary?

Before the introduction of temporary accounts, edits made by logged-out contributors were attributed to their IP address. IP addresses carry sensitive information that can threaten the privacy and safety of the user connected through it. To mitigate this risk to user privacy, we decided to introduce temporary accounts. Under this new system, IP addresses associated with a temporary account are hidden away and only the temporary account name is publicly attributed to a given edit.

Who can see IP address data associated with temporary accounts?

IP Info feature with temporary accounts data

We restrict access to IP address data for temporary accounts to users who need this access for anti-abuse moderation purposes. The access criteria for this data are articulated in a legal policy called Access to temporary account IP addresses. The IP address used at the time of each edit will be stored for 90 days after the edit. After 90 days, this data will be deleted from our databases. To know all the details on what data we collect and how we use it, see our privacy policy.

Our volunteer moderators will have access to some information on your IP address. This information is restricted to editors who need it for anti-abuse moderation purposes. The information exposed, access criteria for it, and allowed purposes of use are detailed in the guidelines.

If this creates any personal security concerns for you, please contact talktohumanrights wikimedia.org for advice.

How do temporary accounts work?

Temporary account names follow the pattern: ~2024-1234567 (a tilde, current year, an auto-generated number). Users cannot choose or change the names of their temporary accounts.
After 90 days of the creation date, the temporary account will automatically expire.
Subsequent edits assign a new temporary account. The old one will be deactivated and you won't be able to keep it or log into it.
It is impossible to log in to a temporary account. There are no passwords for temporary accounts.
All edits made from the same device and browser will be attributed to the same temporary account, even if the IP address you're using changes (for example, if you edit at home and at a coffee shop). This is done through the placement of a browser cookie that remembers the temporary account you have been assigned.
Temporary accounts are not like browsing history or open tabs. If you have a browser synchronized across devices, you will be assigned to different accounts on different devices. This is a consequence of how browsers work.
Temporary accounts can be deactivated at any time by ending your session or clearing your browser cookies.

Notable aspects of temporary accounts

Temporary accounts are different from registered accounts. They are short-lived and offer limited features. We don't collect any additional data for temporary accounts beyond what we collect for regular edits.
Temporary accounts do not have access to all the features available for logged-in users. Some actions, such as uploading photos to Commons, are restricted to users with a registered account.
Temporary accounts have their own user pages and user talk pages.
Temporary accounts can receive notifications and see a banner about new messages on their user talk page.
Temporary accounts can receive thanks from logged-in editors.
Temporary accounts can ping other users and they can be pinged in turn.

Creating a permanent account

At any moment, you can choose to create a registered, permanent account. Registered accounts provide the best privacy protection, and offer many preference settings for customization. Registering a permanent account is quick and easy. You do not need an e-mail address to create a registered account. Your edits and other activity will not be carried forward. You can link from your new registered account user page to your old temporary account user page, though.