Q1: Why isn't there a way for logged-out users to switch to the old look?
A1: Logged-in users have the ability to switch their skin by visiting their Preferences page. This setting isn't available to logged-out users because to reduce server load, Wikipedia handles logged-out traffic using "snapshots" of our articles, hosted on several caching servers. Allowing logged-out users to use Preferences would require generating two versions of snapshots for each page, which would overload Wikipedia servers and potentially cause cache fragmentation. Forcing Preferences to load after the page would also lengthen the loading time and bring about glitches. However, a persistent (un)fixed-width toggle was added for logged out users as it only required a short cookie and did not require caching.
Q2: How do I restore the previous line width?
A2: Click the "fullscreen" button that appears on the bottom right corner of the page.
Q3: Was there prior discussion on changing the appearance?
A3: There was, see this Requests for comment (RfC) discussion. The RfC was closed by two editors who concluded that there was consensus to roll out the new skin without the need for a follow-up discussion, so long as the most pressing concerns expressed by editors in the RfC were addressed.
Q4: Can the old skin be restored as the default?
A4: An RfC discussion recently took place at Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Rollback of Vector 2022, in which editors did not reach a consensus. However, there was rough consensus to make unlimited width the default and to start another RfC around October 2023.
Q5: Where can I report a bug or an issue that needs fixing?
Watchers of this page might be interested in new user script – User:Andrybak/Vectron, which automatically toggles between wide and narrow Vector 2022, depending on the type of the page. Narrow: only the regular "wiki pages" for reading (including talk pages). Wide: editor, diffs, history, special pages (e.g. watchlist), JavaScript, Lua modules, everything else. The script is rough around the edges (the pages "jump" into correct state in front of your eyes). Feedback and suggestions are welcome at the talk page. —andrybak (talk) 00:00, 8 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Seconded. I've loathed the new layout on English Wikipedia pages for quite a while - and now German Wikipedia pages are affected as well. A terrible "improvement" which unfortunately cannot be avoided without creating a user account. 2003:E6:3714:5800:CD5B:1EAF:C77A:A564 (talk) 12:01, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
If you have productive suggestions for improvement and have read the relevant archives and the frequently asked questions in the edit notice at the top of this page, please post your productive suggestions here. – Jonesey95 (talk) 13:46, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. I'm no editor and just a reader but I use the entire Vector 2022 saga as to why Wikipedia shouldn't get the praise it gets. To me it was a solid example of how bureaucracy only exists to serve itself. Examples such as: lack of banners about the change, hard to find talk pages and RFC's, questionable surveys, canvassing, throwing out comments as WP:ILIKEIT even though design has a subjective feel to it, and dismissing that 60% in any vote typically is significant. It just felt like WMF put their thumb on the scale; there's nothing wrong with that but I would have rather seen them just invoke WP: EXEMPT. It still irks me when I get logged out 1x a year. At some point I would like to see another RFC now that the dust has settled. Newresdesignisdumb420! (talk) 22:51, 11 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]
In my opinion, the picture at the top of this article shouldn't show Main Page as the example. One of the differences between Vector 2022 and WP:Vector 2010 is what is shown on the left side of the page when viewing an article. By showing the home page instead of an article, this important difference is missing from the example. Most people experience Wikipedia's articles more than they experience Main Page. — BarrelProof (talk) 16:32, 30 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]
