Editing Help:Preferences (section)

== Preferences page ==
The Preferences page is accessible when you are [[Help:Logging in|logged-in]], but you must have JavaScript enabled in your browser, since the page and all its tabs are an extensive JavaScript application.

You do not need to click {{button|Save}} on every tab on the Preferences page, as the Save button affects all changes on all Preferences tabs.<ref>It is true that each tab will create a URL in the browser history, but these URLs do not represent historical differences in the JavaScript instance that loaded with the Preferences page itself. The per-tab URLs only purpose is to serve the browser's back- and forward-navigation.</ref> You can go from tab to tab setting all your preferences before saving, because Save remembers your changes on the other tabs. To forget unsaved changes, simply leave the page without saving. If you wish to undo your saved changes, you will need to reset them manually.  

Clicking Restore all default settings will harmlessly load another page, which will ''then'' offer the button to reset ''all'' preferences in every tab to their default values. This includes a few items that are stored as a preference, but that aren't directly editable in Special:Preferences. If you do reset your preferences, you can restore your custom signature from the wikitext of a history page, update your custom CSS or JavaScript from [[Wikipedia:Tools#Browsing and editing|Wikipedia:Tools § Browsing and editing]], and then re-select and save your preferences.
 
The default settings are aimed at newcomers editing [[WP:articles|articles]]. Intermediate editors tend to activate more features, such as "warn me if I forgot an edit summary", and advanced editors and administrators use the special settings, gadgets, and editors for ''their'' tasks.

You have the same username and password on [[Wikipedia:Sister|sister]] projects such as Wiktionary, at MediaWiki.org itself, and on the Wikipedia of other languages. Each of your account's preferences are independent because each wiki is a website, with their own administration (namespaces, settings, accounts, etc.). Even the word "Preferences" on the top may be set differently! On the [[Simple English Wikipedia]], it says "My settings".