Template:Dead link

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Shortcuts: `{{404}}` `{{dl}}` `{{dead}}` `{{Broken link}}`

Usage

Use {{Dead link}} when you find a dead link to a website within a paragraph or a reference citation . Doing so 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 or template, leaving the original link intact. Not doing so will prevent detection from automated tools. If the citation contains multiple URLs (e.g. chapterurl and url) in a template, and only one is broken, you can use  to explain which one is broken.

If the article uses clickable footnotes , then this tag should be placed just before the </ref> that contains the dead link. The notice will then correctly appear in the reference section (instead of in the body of the text, which is not recommended).

Avoid using this template when the reference is fully adequate without the link. In this case, simply remove the link. For example, if a {{cite journal}} template is used with a DOI , remove the |url= parameter.

Avoid using this template to identify dead external links that are not used as references for article content. Instead, dead external links should usually be removed. See the guideline for external links .

Please also consider doing a search for an archived copy of the dead link and thereby avoiding using the tag altogether. This is of course the best solution when you find a dead link.

Common form (with current date)

{{Dead link|date=February 2025}}

Optional parameters

url: Provides a history of the linked page via the Wayback Machine . Set only if history actually exists, as otherwise it is misleading to users and editors.
date: Month name followed by year, for use by the categorization system. Use date=February 2025.
bot: [[Wikipedia:Bot accounts#|Bot accounts]] specify the |bot= parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set as bot=<bot name>.

Examples

<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.example.org |title=Web page title |accessdate=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link |date=September 2012}}</ref>
→ ^[1]
<ref>{{cite news |title=Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying |author=Plunkett, John |url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 October 2005 |accessdate=22 September 2012}} {{Dead link}}</ref>
→ ^[2]

↑ "Web page title". http://www.example.org. Retrieved 22 September 2012. ^{[dead link]}
↑ Plunkett, John (27 October 2005). "Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying". The Guardian. http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html. Retrieved 22 September 2012. ^{[dead link]}

Caveats

Avoid using free links (e.g. http://www.example.org/{{Dead link}}) as software 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

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Dead link in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Dead link

A template to indicate that the preceding URL is dead

Template parameters
Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Date	`date`	The month and year the URL was found to be dead, like "June 2013"	String	optional
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	String	optional