Help:Minor Edits

Below the main textbox on any Edit page is a series of things, one of which is the "Minor Edit" checkbox. To the right is what this checkbox looks like on some systems. It may look slightly different on yours.

What it does

If this box is checked when the page is saved, a tiny "m" is placed before the stamp in the History tab and Recent changes page, signifying that the editor deemed it a minor edit. Whether or not it was actually a minor edit is left to user opinions.

What it is used for

The usefulness of a Minor Edit is to remove clutter on the Recent changes page and similar pages. By clicking "Hide minor edits" or "Show minor edits" a user can have these edits left off the page, or included on it, respectively.

Minor edits in user preferences

In User Preferences, under the "Editing" section, a user can choose to have the Minor Edit check box checked automatically. This is done by checking "Mark all edits minor by default". Leaving this box unchecked will make all edits regular by default. Regardless of the setting here, the Minor Edit checkbox can still be checked and unchecked on the edit pages.

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Brief discussion of what constitutes a minor edit

Whether or not to label an edit as minor is left to the discretion of the author of the edit. However, there is a general expectation that minor edits will not introduce new content or remove existing content. Most minor edits fix spelling errors or wiki-link words in the page. When in doubt, please leave the Minor Edit box unchecked; there is nothing wrong with always leaving this box unchecked.

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