This page explains an English Wikipedia policy, a widely accepted standard that all editors should normally follow. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

Shortcuts: WP:IAR WP:IGNORE

If a rule prevents you from improving or maintaining Wikipedia, ignore it.

[edit] See also

	Listen to this policy
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• Wikipedia is not a bureaucracy

Supplemental essays

• Wikipedia:What "Ignore all rules" means
• Wikipedia:Understanding IAR

Background

• "IAR is policy, always has been" (by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales)
• The first of Wikipedia's "Rules to Consider"

Related information

v • d • e   Wikipedia's principles Five pillars Simplified ruleset List of policies Jimbo's statement Wikimedia principles Statement of our principles Synopsis of our conventions Wikipedia's policy pages Historic principles Common to all projects

v • d • e Key Wikipedia policies and guidelines Overview Policies and guidelines · List of policies · List of guidelines Project-wide principles What Wikipedia is not · Editing policy · Consensus · Dispute resolution · Ignore all rules Article standards policies Neutral point of view · Verifiability · No original research · Biographies of living persons · Naming conventions · Deletion Behavioral policies Civility · Edit warring · No personal attacks · No legal threats · Ownership of articles · Sock-puppetry Behavioral guidelines Assume good faith · Etiquette · Do not disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point · Please do not bite the newcomers · Gaming the system Classification guidelines Categories, lists, and navigation templates · Lists · Categorization · Template namespace Content guidelines Conflict of interest · Do not include copies of primary sources · Disambiguation · Do not create hoaxes · Notability · Patent nonsense · Reliable sources Editing guidelines Be bold · Linking · Edit summary · Hatnotes · Signatures · Talk page guidelines · User page Style conventions Article size · Manual of Style