Template:Dead link
Usage
This template is used to mark dead links, either within a paragraph or within a reference citation. Marking dead links signals to editors that this link needs to be replaced with an archive link.
Before considering whether to use the {{dead link}} template it is often useful to make a search for an archive copy of the dead link and thereby avoid using the tag altogether. Using {{Dead link}} will place a note by the URL and add the article to one of the Category:Articles with dead external links categories. Append this template directly after the link (after the link code's terminating ].
- Common form (with current date)
{{Dead link|date=May 2026}}
Optional parameters
url- Provides a history of the linked page via the WebArchive. Set only if history actually exists, as otherwise it is misleading to users and editors.
date- The date parameter consists of the full English name of the current month with initial capital, a space, and the year, not full dates; e.g., "January 2013", but not "jan13". Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error.
fix-attempted- Set this to "yes" if you have tried unsuccessfully to find an archived copy, or a copy with a different URL. This will put the page in Category:Articles with permanently dead external links, and the annotation will be rendered as "[permanent dead link]" instead of just "[dead link]". Note that this currently will occur for any value supplied, including "no", so if a fix was not attempted, simply leave this parameter off, or set it to be blank.
Notes:
- The date-substitution template may be used to automatically generate the date, e.g.,
{{Dead link|{{subst:DATE}}}}. See Help:Substitution for more information.
Caveats
- Avoid using free links (e.g.
http://www.example.org/{{Dead link}}), as software that is unable to handle templates may read an incorrect link. Add brackets if necessary. - Avoid complicated formatting. Nesting inside a template is generally not supported well.
- Avoid using [ ] { | } < > characters between the end of the external link and {{Dead link}}, as they are often used to format text.
TemplateData
TemplateData for Dead link
A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month and year | date | The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like "June 2013"
| String | suggested |
| Bot name | bot | The name of the bot used to identify the dead link (not used by regular editors) | User | optional |
| Wayback URL | url | The dead URL, used only if there is a Wayback Machine archive | URL | optional |
| Fix attempted | fix-attempted | Setting to 'yes' (or any non-blank value) indicates that no archive copy is available
| Boolean | optional |
.svg){kind=link}