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Manage blocks
is the new interface for blocking users (formally known as "targets") that was added in
MediaWiki 1.44
Blocking targets
is an action that
sysops
can perform upon users or
IP addresses
to prevent them from editing the wiki.
Blocks can be sitewide or partial, and can include restrictions such as prohibiting page edits, account creations, and sending emails.
Sysops can layer multiple blocks on a single target, a feature known as
multiblocks
These blocks can target different aspects of the target's behavior, ensuring they are restricted from specific actions, while still allowing some access to other areas of the site.
They may also be used, for example, to simultaneously add a temporary sitewide block, while also leaving a less restrictive block in place for when the sitewide block expires.
Visit
Special:Block
and follow these steps:
Target
- Enter the username, IP address, or
IP range
to block in the
Target
field. Instead of typing this information in manually, it is also possible to click on a
block
link in recent changes, contributions pages, or history pages, which will automatically fill in this field with the appropriate username or IP address. A
Manage blocks
link is also present in the toolbox when viewing User and User talk pages.
Review logs
- Once a valid target has been entered, various logs will appear as applicable to help you decide what further actions to take, if any.
If the target already has existing blocks, you can edit or
remove
them, or use the
Add block
button to add an additional block.
Active blocks
- Shows a table of blocks currently placed on the target along with relevant details such as the expiration, block parameters, and reason. For each row, there is an
Actions
column with options to edit or remove a block.
Active range blocks
- When an IP address or IP range is the target, this log will be shown containing range blocks that effect the target.
Block log
- This will be a table showing the history of blocks, blocks modifications and unblocks on the target.
Suppressed block log
- If you are a
suppressor
, this table will appear listing suppression
log events
that occurred on the target.
Block type
- Select the type of block you want to add.
Sitewide
- Prohibits the block target from making changes to all pages on the entire wiki and creating new pages.
Partial
- Prohibits the block target from making changes only to the specified pages or all pages in namespaces. All other pages can still be edited, new pages can be created, and files can be uploaded. Up to 50 pages can be added to the block, but non-existent ("redlink") pages cannot be blocked. The corresponding talk and subpages are not automatically blocked and must be entered separately. Specific actions can also be blocked (e.g. creating pages) and these will be blocked sitewide even if there is also a partial block on editing specific pages or namespaces.
Expiration
- Set the block expiry using one of the following options:
Preset duration
- Select a predefined duration from the dropdown. The default options in the drop-down may be modified at
MediaWiki:Ipboptions
Custom duration
- Specify a relative time (e.g., 1 day, 2 hours).
Specific date and time
- Enter a precise date and time.
Reason
- The reason selected from the drop-down combined with the
Additional or other reason
will be used as the message displayed to the blocked target when they try to edit. The default reasons in the drop-down may be modified at
MediaWiki:Ipbreason-dropdown
. Block reasons may contain
wikitext
or
templates
Block details
- These are specific actions you can block the target from making, in addition to editing.
Account creation
- Selecting this option will prevent the blocked username or IP address from creating new accounts.
Sending email
- When this option is selected, the target will be unable to use the
Special:EmailUser
interface. If an IP address or range is blocked with this option, and it is not set for anonymous users only, accounts logged in from that IP address or range are unable to use Special:EmailUser.
Editing own talk page
- This option is only available if
$wgBlockAllowsUTEdit
is set to true. For a sitewide block, selecting this option prevents the IP address, range, or user from editing their own user talk page. This option is usually ignored for partial blocks; to prevent a partially blocked user from editing their own talk page, the talk page must be specified as a page to block. The only exception to this is where a partial block prohibits the target from editing the
User talk
namespace; in this situation, this option behaves as it would for a sitewide block.
Additional options
- Depending on if a target is being blocked and other options that may have been enabled, as well as
site configuration
, some or all of these options will be displayed on the form.
Block the last IP address used by this account, and any subsequent IP addresses they try to edit from, for [some duration]
- This option is only available when blocking an account, but is available for both partial and site-wide blocks. When selected, the user's IP will become "
autoblocked
for a
short period of time
and any other IP addresses that the blocked user tries to edit from will be blocked as well.
Hide username from edits and lists
- This option is not enabled in a default installation of MediaWiki; the person putting the block in place must have the
hideuser
permission
. When selected, the blocked username will not be added to the
block log
, the
active block list
, or the
user list
(only available on sitewide indefinite blocks). Other users with the ability to view these hidden entries will still be able to see and unblock the username or IP address.
Watch the target's user page and talk page
- When selected, this adds the blocked target's user page and user talk page to your watchlist.
Apply block to logged-in users from this IP address
- This option is only available when blocking an IP address. When selected, registered users who try to edit using a blocked IP address will still be able to edit. Otherwise, they will be unable to edit as well.
Double-check everything you entered and click on
Submit
. A message should appear saying if the block was successful or unsuccessful.
After a block is placed, you can add additional blocks with the
Add block
button, or edit existing blocks from the
Active blocks
table.
Removing blocks is also done using the
manage blocks
interface.
Navigate to
Special:Block
and provide the username, IP or IP range. From the list of active blocks, click the
Remove
button.
A dialog will show up on screen asking to confirm the action, with the option to specify a reason.
A message should appear saying if the unblock was successful or unsuccessful.
As of April 2025,
Special:Unblock
is only used for removing
autoblocks
. To remove an autoblock, find it from
Special:AutoblockList
and click
remove block
under the
Expires
column.
This will bring you to
Special:Unblock
for that autoblock.
Sitewide blocked targets are unable to
edit pages
upload files
move pages
, and perform other actions that additional
user rights
would grant.
Effectively, this makes the wiki read only for those targets.
Blocked users who are in user groups that allow them to block may not block or unblock other targets while they themselves are blocked.
Users with the
unblockself
right however can block the user who blocked them.
Partially blocked targets are only prohibited from performing change actions to the specific pages or all pages inside the namespaces configured.