Wikipedia:Simplest diff guide

This help page is a how-to guide. It explains concepts or processes used by the Wikipedia community. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, and may reflect varying levels of consensus.

Shortcut WP:SDGWP:SDG

A diff is a permanent link to a single edit or set of edits, showing the difference between the before and after versions. Without diffs, those trying to help you may not know what you are referring to. If you simply claim that "editor X has posted several personal attacks on talkpages" or "editor Y is edit warring on George W. Bush", you may be told "Diffs or it didn't happen."

This is how to make a diff:

1. Find the page which contains the edit you want to refer to.
2. Click on its History tab.
3. Find the edit in the History list. (If that's a problem, clicking on (prev) next to each item in the list will let you read each one.)
4. To obtain a copy of the URL for the diff, right-click on its (prev) button and select "Copy link location", "copy shortcut", or however your browser expresses it. The URL of the diff you want is now in your clipboard.
   1. Alternatively, you can click (prev) and, when you are viewing the new page, copy its URL from the address bar.

To properly link a diff, paste it into your text where you want it to appear. Include all parts of it, starting from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=. Put single square brackets, [ ], around it.

Example:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=212488423&oldid=210742813] will show up as [1] and will link to the chosen diff of Wikipedia's Main Page.