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{{Short description|Guideline on the rollback user right}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Wikipedia:Twinkle|Twinkle]]'s "rollback" feature or [[WP:RW|RedWarn]]'s "rollback-like" feature, which can be used by anyone with [[WP:TW|Twinkle]] or [[WP:RW|RedWarn]] enabled}}
<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef}}{{pp-move-indef}}</noinclude>
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Rollback feature|WP:RBK|WP:ROLLBACK|WP:ROLL}}
[[File:Wikipedia Rollbacker.svg|right|150px]]
The '''rollback''' [[WP:User rights|user right]] provides users with a button that will [[Help:Reverting|revert]], with a single click, the last edit to a given page, along with any ''consecutive'' previous edits made by the same editor to that page. It is used to undo problematic edits such as [[WP:Vandalism|vandalism]].
An editor with rollback user rights will see a button {{kbd|rollback ''n'' edits}} next to relevant revisions on pages such as their [[Help:Watchlist|watchlist]], on [[WP:UCP|user contributions pages]] (including their own), and on the [[H:PH|edit history]] of pages.
Rollback is enabled and available to all [[WP:Administrators|administrators]] automatically and can be given to other users upon request, subject to the approval of an administrator. A user who has been assigned this right explicitly is called a '''rollbacker'''. There are currently [[Special:ListUsers/sysop|{{NUMBEROFADMINS}}]] administrators and [[Special:ListUsers/rollbacker|{{NUMBERINGROUP:rollbacker}}]] rollbackers ({{formatnum:{{#expr:{{NUMBEROFADMINS:R}}+{{NUMBERINGROUP:Rollbacker|R}}}}}} total), not including [[WP:Global rights policy#Global rollbacker|global rollbackers]] and [[m:Stewards|stewards]] who have been assigned the right across all [[Wikimedia]] projects.
[[#When to use rollback|Standard rollback may only be used in certain situations]] – editors who misuse standard rollback (for example, by using it to reverse [[WP:Assume good faith|good-faith]] edits in situations where an explanatory [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] would normally be expected) may have their rollback rights removed. Since rollback is part of the core administrator tools, an admin could be [[WP:Requests for de-adminship|stripped of their administrative privileges]] entirely to remove those tools.
==How it works==
Users with rollback permission have extra "rollback" links next to revisions on the [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes page]], [[Help:Page history|page histories]], [[Help:Diff|diff]]s, [[Help:User contributions|user contribution pages]], and their [[Help:Watchlist|watchlist]]:
*[[Main Page|21:49, 2 September 2010]] ([[diff]] | [[Help:Page history|hist]]) [[Foobar]] ([[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk]] | [[Help:Contributions|contribs]]) .. ({{NUMBEROFEDITS}} bytes) (+1) .. [[Main Page|Wikipedia:Rollback]] ''(this is an example)'' '''(current)''' ([[Help:Reverting#Undo|undo]] | [[Help:Notifications/Thanks|thank]]) [[[WP:RBK|rollback: 1 edit]]]
Clicking one of these links restores the page to the most recent revision that is ''not'' made by the revision's author. This appears in the page history with a generic summary that looks like this:
{{Block indent|1='''<abbr class="minor" title="{{MediaWiki:recentchanges-label-minor}}">{{MediaWiki:Minoreditletter}}</abbr>''' {{int:revertpage|Helpful contributor|Vandal}} }}
A link to the reverted user's contribution history is provided, so that it may be easily checked for further problematic edits. It does not appear if you are reverting contributions done by a user whose username has been [[WP:Revision deletion|removed]] or [[WP:OVERSIGHT|suppressed]], the result being:
{{Block indent|1='''<abbr class="minor" title="{{MediaWiki:recentchanges-label-minor}}">{{MediaWiki:Minoreditletter}}</abbr>''' {{int:revertpage-nouser|Helpful contributor}} }}
Rules and limitations:
*The rollback button only appears next to the most recent revision of a page.
*If the page is edited again before you click the rollback link, you will get an error message instead.
*You cannot choose which revision will be restored. It is always the last revision ''not'' made by the author of the most recent revision. This revision may be problematic too, so be careful.
*If there are multiple consecutive edits to the page by the same author, they will ''all'' be reverted. To remove only some of them, you must revert the changes manually.
*You cannot use rollback on a page which has only been edited by one person, as there would be nothing to revert to.
*You cannot use rollback to restore a [[WP:Revision deletion|revision that has been deleted]] or [[WP:OVERSIGHT|suppressed]]. Attempting to do so will display an error message.
*Rollback happens immediately; there is no confirmation or preview (although a page is displayed allowing you to see the changes you have made).
*Rollbacks are automatically marked as a "[[Help:Minor edit|minor edit]]".
Note that methods exist for performing rollback with non-generic edit summaries – see the [[#Additional tools|''Additional tools'']] section below.
==When to use rollback==
{{shortcut|WP:ROLLBACKUSE}}
Standard rollback is a fast way of undoing problematic edits, but it has the disadvantage that only a generic [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] is generated, with no explanation of the reason for the change. For this reason, it is considered inappropriate to use it in situations where an explanatory edit summary would normally be expected. Rollback ''may'' be used:
#{{anchors|RB1|vandalism}}To revert obvious [[WP:Vandalism|vandalism]] and other edits where the reason for reverting is absolutely clear
#{{anchors|RB2|user}}To revert edits in your own [[WP:Userspace|userspace]]
#{{anchors|RB3|self}}To revert edits that you have made (for example, edits that you accidentally made)
#{{anchors|RB4|banned}}To revert edits by [[WP:Banning policy|banned]] or [[WP:Blocking policy|blocked]] users in defiance of their block or ban (but be prepared to explain this use of rollback when asked to)
#{{anchors|RB5|misguided}}To revert widespread edits (by a misguided editor or malfunctioning bot) unhelpful to the encyclopedia, provided that you supply an explanation in an appropriate location, such as at the relevant talk page<ref>See also [[WP:Requests for arbitration/Ryulong#Rollback]].</ref>
Use of standard rollback for any other purposes{{snd}} such as reverting good-faith changes which you happen to disagree with{{snd}} is likely to be considered misuse of the tool. When in doubt, use another method of reversion and supply an edit summary to explain your reasoning.
The above restrictions apply to ''standard'' rollback, using the generic edit summary. If a tool or manual method is used to add an appropriate explanatory edit summary (as described in the [[#Additional tools|''Additional tools'']] section below), then rollback may be freely used as with any other method of [[WP:reverting|reverting]].
As with other methods of reverting, when using rollback to ''restore'' text to a page, ensure that the text restored does not violate Wikipedia policies.
Administrators may revoke the rollback privilege or issue a block in response to a persistent failure to explain reverts, regardless of the means used. However, they should allow the editor an opportunity to explain their use of rollback before taking any action{{snd}} there may be justification of which the administrator is not aware (such as reversion of a banned user). Similarly, editors who [[WP:Edit warring|edit war]] may lose the privilege regardless of the means used to edit war. Administrators who persistently misuse rollback may have their administrator access revoked, although in practice such cases would require the intervention of the [[WP:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]].
==Requesting rollback rights==
To request rollback rights, ask at '''[[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions/Rollback]]''' or ask one of the administrators listed [[:Category:Wikipedia administrators willing to grant rollback requests|here]]. Any [[WP:Administrators|administrator]] may grant or revoke rollback rights, using the [[Special:UserRights|user rights page]].
While there is no fixed requirement, a request is unlikely to be successful without a contribution history that demonstrates an ability to distinguish well-intentioned edits with minor issues from unconstructive vandalism. '''Rollback is not for very new users:''' it is unlikely that editors with under {{/Mainspace count}} [[WP:MAINSPACE|'''mainspace''']] edits will have their request granted. In addition, editors with a recent history of edit warring will often not be granted rollback given concerns of abuse.
If you have been granted rollback rights, you may wish to test it out [[WP:Administrators' guide/Rollback|here]].
==Accidental use of rollback==
Because rollback only takes a single click, without asking for confirmation, even experienced users may sometimes accidentally click rollback when attempting to click somewhere else. If this occurs, simply revert your edit manually, with an edit summary like "Self-revert accidental use of rollback". You could rollback the rollback, but this can cause confusion for others who look at the page history.
If rollback is used accidentally instead of undo to revert a good faith edit, you could take a quick look to see if there is anything in the article you could improve (like a typo) and while making that edit also add the reason for reversion. You could also explain the reason for reversion on the talk page of the user who made the edit or the article talk page if appropriate. Alternatively you can follow the rollback with a [[Help:Dummy edit|dummy edit]], with an edit summary like "Accidental use of rollback – ''reason for reversion''". This doesn't work with [[Wikipedia:Purge#Null edit|null edits]] and won't change the edit summary for the rollback edit.
Editors have the option of installing any of the multiple [[Wikipedia:Rollback#User scripts|user scripts]] that enable mandatory confirmation from the user before rolling back an edit. This is enabled by default on mobile devices via the "Require confirmation before performing rollback on mobile devices" [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets|gadget]].
It is possible to hide the <code>[rollback]</code> links at [[Special:Watchlist]], where most accidental clicks happen, while leaving <code>[rollback]</code> links available in other locations (e.g., [[Help:Diff|diffs]]). See [[WP:Customizing watchlists#Remove or modify the .5Brollback.5D link|WP:Customizing watchlists]] for instructions.
==Additional tools==
It is also possible to use rollback with an explanatory edit summary (instead of the default or standard generic edit summary). Various editing tools let you do this; for example, see this [[WP:Cleaning up vandalism/Tools#Rollback tools|list of tools]]. To do it manually, copy the URL of the rollback link, paste it into your browser's address bar, and append <code>&summary=</code> followed by your desired summary to the end of the URL.
[[File:Rollback and Twinkle.png|right|thumb|315px|Example diff showing both [[WP:Twinkle|Twinkle]] (top line) and rollback (third line)]]
The patrolling tool [[WP:Twinkle|Twinkle]] adds links in similar places to the "rollback" links, and also calls them "rollback". Unlike rollback, Twinkle may be used by any [[WP:AUTOCONFIRM|autoconfirmed]] user. Other than this, the links are functionally the same, but differ in their choice of edit summaries. Twinkle also offers additional options. (Anyone using both tools will see two "rollback" links, which can be confusing; see the picture.) This can be disabled by unticking every box in the option <code>Show rollback links on these pages:</code> at [[{{urldecode|Wikipedia:Twinkle/Preferences#fluff}}|Twinkle preferences]].
===User scripts===
For further customization, you can use the following user scripts:
*[[User:Mr. Stradivarius/gadgets/ConfirmRollback]] – highly configurable rollback confirmation/hiding script; adjust rollback link behaviour by page and device type
*[[User:MusikAnimal/confirmationRollback]] – scripts to add rollback confirmation dialogs, available in mobile and desktop versions
*[[Wikipedia:RedWarn]] – adds additional canned rollback reasons. If you have rollback rights, you may also configure RedWarn to use software rollback rather than the "rollback-like" feature.
==See also==
*[[Help:Reverting#Rollback]]
*[[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions/Rollback]]
*[[Wikipedia:Vandalism]]
*[[Wikipedia:Non-administrator rollback|The discussion]] that led to separate rollback permission for non-administrators
*[[Special:ListUsers/rollbacker|List of users with rollback rights]]
*{{tl|Rollback topicon}} a [[Template:Top icon|top icon]] template to indicate you have rollback permission – adds category to page automatically
*{{tl|User wikipedia/rollback}} a [[WP:Userboxes|userbox]] template to indicate you have rollback permission
*{{tl|User rollbacker since}} a userbox to indicate having rollback permission and period of time
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Wikipedia accounts|collapsed}}
[[Category:Wikipedia rollback feature| ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia user access levels]]
{{distinguish|text=[[Wikipedia:Twinkle|Twinkle]]'s "rollback" feature or [[WP:RW|RedWarn]]'s "rollback-like" feature, which can be used by anyone with [[WP:TW|Twinkle]] or [[WP:RW|RedWarn]] enabled}}
<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef}}{{pp-move-indef}}</noinclude>
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Rollback feature|WP:RBK|WP:ROLLBACK|WP:ROLL}}
[[File:Wikipedia Rollbacker.svg|right|150px]]
The '''rollback''' [[WP:User rights|user right]] provides users with a button that will [[Help:Reverting|revert]], with a single click, the last edit to a given page, along with any ''consecutive'' previous edits made by the same editor to that page. It is used to undo problematic edits such as [[WP:Vandalism|vandalism]].
An editor with rollback user rights will see a button {{kbd|rollback ''n'' edits}} next to relevant revisions on pages such as their [[Help:Watchlist|watchlist]], on [[WP:UCP|user contributions pages]] (including their own), and on the [[H:PH|edit history]] of pages.
Rollback is enabled and available to all [[WP:Administrators|administrators]] automatically and can be given to other users upon request, subject to the approval of an administrator. A user who has been assigned this right explicitly is called a '''rollbacker'''. There are currently [[Special:ListUsers/sysop|{{NUMBEROFADMINS}}]] administrators and [[Special:ListUsers/rollbacker|{{NUMBERINGROUP:rollbacker}}]] rollbackers ({{formatnum:{{#expr:{{NUMBEROFADMINS:R}}+{{NUMBERINGROUP:Rollbacker|R}}}}}} total), not including [[WP:Global rights policy#Global rollbacker|global rollbackers]] and [[m:Stewards|stewards]] who have been assigned the right across all [[Wikimedia]] projects.
[[#When to use rollback|Standard rollback may only be used in certain situations]] – editors who misuse standard rollback (for example, by using it to reverse [[WP:Assume good faith|good-faith]] edits in situations where an explanatory [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] would normally be expected) may have their rollback rights removed. Since rollback is part of the core administrator tools, an admin could be [[WP:Requests for de-adminship|stripped of their administrative privileges]] entirely to remove those tools.
==How it works==
Users with rollback permission have extra "rollback" links next to revisions on the [[Help:Recent changes|recent changes page]], [[Help:Page history|page histories]], [[Help:Diff|diff]]s, [[Help:User contributions|user contribution pages]], and their [[Help:Watchlist|watchlist]]:
*[[Main Page|21:49, 2 September 2010]] ([[diff]] | [[Help:Page history|hist]]) [[Foobar]] ([[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk]] | [[Help:Contributions|contribs]]) .. ({{NUMBEROFEDITS}} bytes) (+1) .. [[Main Page|Wikipedia:Rollback]] ''(this is an example)'' '''(current)''' ([[Help:Reverting#Undo|undo]] | [[Help:Notifications/Thanks|thank]]) [[[WP:RBK|rollback: 1 edit]]]
Clicking one of these links restores the page to the most recent revision that is ''not'' made by the revision's author. This appears in the page history with a generic summary that looks like this:
{{Block indent|1='''<abbr class="minor" title="{{MediaWiki:recentchanges-label-minor}}">{{MediaWiki:Minoreditletter}}</abbr>''' {{int:revertpage|Helpful contributor|Vandal}} }}
A link to the reverted user's contribution history is provided, so that it may be easily checked for further problematic edits. It does not appear if you are reverting contributions done by a user whose username has been [[WP:Revision deletion|removed]] or [[WP:OVERSIGHT|suppressed]], the result being:
{{Block indent|1='''<abbr class="minor" title="{{MediaWiki:recentchanges-label-minor}}">{{MediaWiki:Minoreditletter}}</abbr>''' {{int:revertpage-nouser|Helpful contributor}} }}
Rules and limitations:
*The rollback button only appears next to the most recent revision of a page.
*If the page is edited again before you click the rollback link, you will get an error message instead.
*You cannot choose which revision will be restored. It is always the last revision ''not'' made by the author of the most recent revision. This revision may be problematic too, so be careful.
*If there are multiple consecutive edits to the page by the same author, they will ''all'' be reverted. To remove only some of them, you must revert the changes manually.
*You cannot use rollback on a page which has only been edited by one person, as there would be nothing to revert to.
*You cannot use rollback to restore a [[WP:Revision deletion|revision that has been deleted]] or [[WP:OVERSIGHT|suppressed]]. Attempting to do so will display an error message.
*Rollback happens immediately; there is no confirmation or preview (although a page is displayed allowing you to see the changes you have made).
*Rollbacks are automatically marked as a "[[Help:Minor edit|minor edit]]".
Note that methods exist for performing rollback with non-generic edit summaries – see the [[#Additional tools|''Additional tools'']] section below.
==When to use rollback==
{{shortcut|WP:ROLLBACKUSE}}
Standard rollback is a fast way of undoing problematic edits, but it has the disadvantage that only a generic [[Help:Edit summary|edit summary]] is generated, with no explanation of the reason for the change. For this reason, it is considered inappropriate to use it in situations where an explanatory edit summary would normally be expected. Rollback ''may'' be used:
#{{anchors|RB1|vandalism}}To revert obvious [[WP:Vandalism|vandalism]] and other edits where the reason for reverting is absolutely clear
#{{anchors|RB2|user}}To revert edits in your own [[WP:Userspace|userspace]]
#{{anchors|RB3|self}}To revert edits that you have made (for example, edits that you accidentally made)
#{{anchors|RB4|banned}}To revert edits by [[WP:Banning policy|banned]] or [[WP:Blocking policy|blocked]] users in defiance of their block or ban (but be prepared to explain this use of rollback when asked to)
#{{anchors|RB5|misguided}}To revert widespread edits (by a misguided editor or malfunctioning bot) unhelpful to the encyclopedia, provided that you supply an explanation in an appropriate location, such as at the relevant talk page<ref>See also [[WP:Requests for arbitration/Ryulong#Rollback]].</ref>
Use of standard rollback for any other purposes{{snd}} such as reverting good-faith changes which you happen to disagree with{{snd}} is likely to be considered misuse of the tool. When in doubt, use another method of reversion and supply an edit summary to explain your reasoning.
The above restrictions apply to ''standard'' rollback, using the generic edit summary. If a tool or manual method is used to add an appropriate explanatory edit summary (as described in the [[#Additional tools|''Additional tools'']] section below), then rollback may be freely used as with any other method of [[WP:reverting|reverting]].
As with other methods of reverting, when using rollback to ''restore'' text to a page, ensure that the text restored does not violate Wikipedia policies.
Administrators may revoke the rollback privilege or issue a block in response to a persistent failure to explain reverts, regardless of the means used. However, they should allow the editor an opportunity to explain their use of rollback before taking any action{{snd}} there may be justification of which the administrator is not aware (such as reversion of a banned user). Similarly, editors who [[WP:Edit warring|edit war]] may lose the privilege regardless of the means used to edit war. Administrators who persistently misuse rollback may have their administrator access revoked, although in practice such cases would require the intervention of the [[WP:Arbitration Committee|Arbitration Committee]].
==Requesting rollback rights==
To request rollback rights, ask at '''[[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions/Rollback]]''' or ask one of the administrators listed [[:Category:Wikipedia administrators willing to grant rollback requests|here]]. Any [[WP:Administrators|administrator]] may grant or revoke rollback rights, using the [[Special:UserRights|user rights page]].
While there is no fixed requirement, a request is unlikely to be successful without a contribution history that demonstrates an ability to distinguish well-intentioned edits with minor issues from unconstructive vandalism. '''Rollback is not for very new users:''' it is unlikely that editors with under {{/Mainspace count}} [[WP:MAINSPACE|'''mainspace''']] edits will have their request granted. In addition, editors with a recent history of edit warring will often not be granted rollback given concerns of abuse.
If you have been granted rollback rights, you may wish to test it out [[WP:Administrators' guide/Rollback|here]].
==Accidental use of rollback==
Because rollback only takes a single click, without asking for confirmation, even experienced users may sometimes accidentally click rollback when attempting to click somewhere else. If this occurs, simply revert your edit manually, with an edit summary like "Self-revert accidental use of rollback". You could rollback the rollback, but this can cause confusion for others who look at the page history.
If rollback is used accidentally instead of undo to revert a good faith edit, you could take a quick look to see if there is anything in the article you could improve (like a typo) and while making that edit also add the reason for reversion. You could also explain the reason for reversion on the talk page of the user who made the edit or the article talk page if appropriate. Alternatively you can follow the rollback with a [[Help:Dummy edit|dummy edit]], with an edit summary like "Accidental use of rollback – ''reason for reversion''". This doesn't work with [[Wikipedia:Purge#Null edit|null edits]] and won't change the edit summary for the rollback edit.
Editors have the option of installing any of the multiple [[Wikipedia:Rollback#User scripts|user scripts]] that enable mandatory confirmation from the user before rolling back an edit. This is enabled by default on mobile devices via the "Require confirmation before performing rollback on mobile devices" [[Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets|gadget]].
It is possible to hide the <code>[rollback]</code> links at [[Special:Watchlist]], where most accidental clicks happen, while leaving <code>[rollback]</code> links available in other locations (e.g., [[Help:Diff|diffs]]). See [[WP:Customizing watchlists#Remove or modify the .5Brollback.5D link|WP:Customizing watchlists]] for instructions.
==Additional tools==
It is also possible to use rollback with an explanatory edit summary (instead of the default or standard generic edit summary). Various editing tools let you do this; for example, see this [[WP:Cleaning up vandalism/Tools#Rollback tools|list of tools]]. To do it manually, copy the URL of the rollback link, paste it into your browser's address bar, and append <code>&summary=</code> followed by your desired summary to the end of the URL.
[[File:Rollback and Twinkle.png|right|thumb|315px|Example diff showing both [[WP:Twinkle|Twinkle]] (top line) and rollback (third line)]]
The patrolling tool [[WP:Twinkle|Twinkle]] adds links in similar places to the "rollback" links, and also calls them "rollback". Unlike rollback, Twinkle may be used by any [[WP:AUTOCONFIRM|autoconfirmed]] user. Other than this, the links are functionally the same, but differ in their choice of edit summaries. Twinkle also offers additional options. (Anyone using both tools will see two "rollback" links, which can be confusing; see the picture.) This can be disabled by unticking every box in the option <code>Show rollback links on these pages:</code> at [[{{urldecode|Wikipedia:Twinkle/Preferences#fluff}}|Twinkle preferences]].
===User scripts===
For further customization, you can use the following user scripts:
*[[User:Mr. Stradivarius/gadgets/ConfirmRollback]] – highly configurable rollback confirmation/hiding script; adjust rollback link behaviour by page and device type
*[[User:MusikAnimal/confirmationRollback]] – scripts to add rollback confirmation dialogs, available in mobile and desktop versions
*[[Wikipedia:RedWarn]] – adds additional canned rollback reasons. If you have rollback rights, you may also configure RedWarn to use software rollback rather than the "rollback-like" feature.
==See also==
*[[Help:Reverting#Rollback]]
*[[Wikipedia:Requests for permissions/Rollback]]
*[[Wikipedia:Vandalism]]
*[[Wikipedia:Non-administrator rollback|The discussion]] that led to separate rollback permission for non-administrators
*[[Special:ListUsers/rollbacker|List of users with rollback rights]]
*{{tl|Rollback topicon}} a [[Template:Top icon|top icon]] template to indicate you have rollback permission – adds category to page automatically
*{{tl|User wikipedia/rollback}} a [[WP:Userboxes|userbox]] template to indicate you have rollback permission
*{{tl|User rollbacker since}} a userbox to indicate having rollback permission and period of time
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Wikipedia accounts|collapsed}}
[[Category:Wikipedia rollback feature| ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia user access levels]]