Editing Help:Logging in (section)

== Editing while logged out ==
{{shortcut|WP:LOGGEDOUT|WP:LOUT}}
{{seealso|Wikipedia:Sockpuppetry#Editing while logged out|Wikipedia:Signs of sockpuppetry#IP sockpuppetry}}
Occasionally an established editor will edit while logged out. While not usually an egregious issue, there can be some concerns about attribution and privacy.

* If you made an edit without logging in, you cannot go back and directly tie that edit to your account. If your desire to account for the edit overrides your desire for anonymity, you can log in, make a [[Help:dummy edit|dummy edit]], and add a note in the edit summary about the previous edit.
* If you make a comment on a talk page without logging in, then your signature will include your IP address. You can log in and edit the comment by replacing the signature; be aware that automated tools [[WikiScanner|have used]] editing behavior like this to connect your username and IP address in public databases.
* If you feel that the connection between the IP address and your username is an issue, then you can request that the edit be removed; see [[Wikipedia:Oversight#Policy]] and [[Wikipedia:Requests for oversight]].

In Firefox (with the [https://userscripts.org/about/installing Greasemonkey] add-on) or in Chrome, you can install a [https://userscripts-mirror.org/scripts/show/130031 simple script] that prevents editing while logged out on all Wikimedia Foundation sites. Once the script is installed and you click on Edit while logged out, it pops up a notice that you are not logged in and does not proceed. Note that it does not yet prevent editing by clicking on red links or by direct links to edit pages.