Help:Redirect

When you redirect (direct a link to another page) or move a page (change its title), the page redirects to the target page, and the target page appears on the list of redirects. However, the reasons and results for each procedure are different. This page covers both procedures.

Both redirecting and moving pages preserve their edit history although not in the same way. These methods are to be used rather than copying and pasting content, which credits the wrong people for the page contributions.

Before creating a redirect, decide if you want to redirect the page or move the page.

1 Differences between redirects and moves
2 When to redirect pages
3 When to move pages
4 How to create redirects
- 4.1 Redirecting to another page
- 4.2 Redirecting to a category
5 How to move pages
6 Avoiding double redirects

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Differences between redirects and moves

You redirect a page to a title that already exists. You can move a page only to a title that doesn't exist yet.
Both setting up a redirect and moving a page create a redirect to another page. When you create a redirect to another page, you make the redirect link. When you move a page, a redirect link from the old title to the new one is created automatically.
When you redirect a page, the history of the directing page doesn't go with it. The target page has only its own history. When you move a page, the page history goes with the page.
Numerous pages can redirect to the same target page. When you move a page, only the directing page directs to the target page. (But redirects can be in place as well.)

An example of a page that has been moved and has a redirect is Datacenters:

The page started as Data center. The page was moved (its title was changed) to Datacenters, which is the plural name and a more common term. The page history shows the name change as well as other changes before and after the name change.
As the Datacenters What links here page shows, Datacenter (the singular form) also links to Datacenters. Datacenter was set up as a redirect to Datacenters.

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When to redirect pages

Redirects are created to have more than one title direct to the same already-existing target page. Having more than one title can make search easier and helps avoid the creation of two or more pages about the same subject. Some reasons for creating redirects:

Words that can be spelled or written more than one way
Singular versions of plural titles and vice versa
Abbreviations
Other reasons that titles can be similar
A member started a page, saw a previously created page about the same subject, and copied the new content to the older page

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When to move pages

When you move a page, you change its title. The existing title redirects to the new title (a page that doesn't exist yet). Some reasons for moving / renaming pages:

To correct spelling or capitalization
To change a word or words, e.g., to make a singular word plural
To shorten (or possibly lengthen) the title
To give the title a neutral point of view

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How to create redirects

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Redirecting to another page

Check that the target page isn't already a redirect. (See Avoiding double redirects.)
If the page has content and only you created and edited it, and you don't want it there any more, remove it. (It will still be viewable via the page history.) If other people have contributed to this page, do not set up a redirect; discuss it on the talk page for the article.
Type #REDIRECT [[target page name here]] on the first line and click on Save page.

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Redirecting to a category

As above, but type #REDIRECT [[:Category:target category name here]]. Note the colon (:) before Category; it makes the category name function as a name only so that the page it's on won't be added to the category it's redirecting to.

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How to move pages

Check that the target page isn't already a redirect. (See Avoiding double redirects.)
Click on the Move link at the top of the redirecting page.
Enter the new title and the reason for the move / name change, and click on Move page.

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Avoiding double redirects

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Target pages as double redirects

Don't create a redirect that points to another redirect (called a double redirect). To avoid creating a double redirect:

Go to the target page to see if it redirects. If the page name in the browser address after /wiki/ is different from the title on the page itself, the page is a redirect.
Check that the target page isn't already on the list of redirects.

If the target page redirects to another page, set up your redirect to link to the page that the target page redirects to instead.

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Directing pages as redirects

If other pages redirect to the page that you're redirecting to another page, change the redirects on those pages to the new target page. Find those pages via the What links here toolbox link.

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