Commons:Deletion requests/Speedy deletion
According to Commons' deletion policy, files or pages that meet specific criteria may qualify for speedy deletion without discussion. Instead of following the regular deletion request process, speedy deletion is requested by tagging the file description or other page using an appropriate template. When tagging a file uploaded by someone else for speedy deletion, one should notify the uploader on their user talk page. Content tagged for speedy deletion is reviewed and processed by administrators.
Quick Delete gadget[edit]
The easiest way to tag a file for speedy deletion is to enable the Quick Delete gadget in the gadgets section of your preferences, where it is listed under the Maintenance tools heading. This gadget adds links in the Tools menu on the left-hand side of file description pages:
- Report copyright violation – for tagging apparent copyright violations, which may be deleted on sight. You will be prompted to provide a reason why the file is a copyright violation, such as information on where the file has been copied from.
- No source – for tagging files which are missing essential source or authorship information, which may be deleted after seven days unless the missing information is provided.
- No permission – for tagging files which are missing evidence that the legitimate copyright holder has given permission to publish the file under the specified licensing terms. Such files may be deleted after seven days unless the issue is resolved by emailing permission information or through license review.
- No license – for tagging files which are missing essential licensing information, such as a copyright tag which specifies the licensing terms or the reason the content is in the public domain. Such files may be deleted after seven days unless the missing information is provided.
The Quick Delete gadget will also notify the uploader.
Manual tagging[edit]
It is also possible to tag files manually by editing the file description to add an appropriate template, such as:
- {{copyvio|1=Reason why the file is a copyright violation|source=URL that shows that the file is a copyright violation}} – for apparent copyright violations, which may be deleted on sight.
{{subst:nsd}}– for files which are missing essential source or authorship information, which may be deleted after seven days unless the missing information is provided.{{subst:npd}}– for files which are missing evidence that the legitimate copyright holder has given permission to publish the file under the specified licensing terms. Such files may be deleted after seven days unless the issue is resolved by emailing permission information or through license review.{{subst:nld}}– for files which are missing essential licensing information, such as a copyright tag which specifies the licensing terms or the reason the content is in the public domain. Such files may be deleted after seven days unless the missing information is provided.
You will need to notify the uploader manually. Information on how to do this is provided by each respective template on the resulting file description page.
Other speedy deletion tags which may be added manually include:
- {{duplicate|File:Existing file (to be kept)}} – for files that are exact or scaled-down duplicates of an existing file.
- {{speedydelete|Other reason for deletion}} – generic speedy deletion tag for files or pages that meet one of the criteria for speedy deletion but for which there is no specific tag.
Other options[edit]
To rename (or move) a file, it is not necessary to upload the file again or to request deletion. Instead, request renaming.
It is rarely necessary to delete renamed category pages. Once the category has been renamed and the content moved to the new category, the old category may be redirected to the new one using {{category redirect|New category name}}.
The VisualFileChange gadget may be used to tag multiple files in batches.