Subpages

A subpage is a page that is hierarchically linked to a parent page by adding a slash / and a name. Subpages help organize related content (such as documentation, archives, and drafts) under a main page. The feature is enabled in most non-article namespaces.

What subpages are

A page titled Parent/Child is a subpage of Parent.
Subpages can themselves have subpages (e.g., Parent/Child/Grandchild).
Subpages inherit their parent’s context and are typically used for documentation, archives, and administrative content rather than encyclopedia articles.

Where subpages work

Subpages are enabled in many namespaces, including:

[[Wikipedia:]] (project pages)
[[Help:]] (help pages)
[[User:]] (user pages)
[[Template:]] (templates and documentation)
[[Portal:]] (portals)
Draft: (drafts)
[[Module:]] (Lua modules)

They are generally disabled in the main article namespace to avoid fragmenting topics. Local configurations may vary; see Help:Subpages.

When to use subpages

Documentation: Template:Name/doc
Archives: Wikipedia:Noticeboard/Archive 1
Subsections of process pages: Wikipedia:Requests for X/Backlog
User sandboxes and subprojects: User:Name/Sandbox, User:Name/Project
Draft or working copies tied to a specific project page

Naming conventions

Use clear, descriptive child names (e.g., /doc, /instructions, /Archive 2025).
Avoid spaces at the start or end; keep punctuation minimal.
For archives, prefer consistent numbering or dating: /Archive 1, /Archive 2 or /Archive 2025-11.
For documentation subpages, use /doc and transclude with {{Documentation}}.

Navigation aids

Subpage links:

[[Parent/Child]]

Parent links:

[[Parent]]

Relative links inside subpages:

[[/Sibling]]  → links to Parent/Sibling
  [[../]]        → links to Parent
  [[../Other]]   → links to Parent/Other

Breadcrumb templates: {{Tnavbar}}, {{Tnavbar-collapsible}} to show navigation bars on template docs.

Transclusion and subpages

Transclude a subpage:

{{:Parent/Child}}

Common pattern for template docs:

{{Documentation}}

 which pulls from Template:Name/doc.

Avoid transcluding user subpages into articles except where clearly policy-compliant.

Technical tags

Use the include control tags to manage what appears on parents vs transclusions:

<noinclude>…</noinclude> — content only on the source page (not transcluded)
<includeonly>…</includeonly> — content only when transcluded
<onlyinclude>…</onlyinclude> — only the enclosed content is transcluded

Templates and modules

Documentation: keep usage notes on /doc subpages; categories for templates usually go inside .
Lua modules: put explanations on Module:Name/doc and link from templates that call the module.
Tracking pages: use subpages for backlogs, maintenance lists, and archives to keep the parent clean.

User subpages

Sandboxes: User:Name/Sandbox for drafts and experiments.
Projects: User:Name/Project for personal project organization.
Avoid promotional or disruptive content; user pages and subpages are subject to general policies.

Portals and processes

Portals often use subpages for sections (e.g., Portal:Topic/Selected article).
Process pages (deletions, requests, noticeboards) commonly organize entries via subpages for clarity and archiving.

Common pitfalls

Splitting encyclopedic content into subpages in the main namespace (usually disabled and discouraged).
Inconsistent archive naming that confuses navigation.
Transcluding categories from subpages unintentionally into articles.
Deep or unclear hierarchies that are hard to maintain.

Best practices

Keep parent pages concise; offload details and archival content to subpages.
Use breadcrumbs or navboxes to make relationships obvious.
Document conventions on the parent page (e.g., how archives are named and rotated).
Review subpages periodically to ensure they reflect current practice and are not outdated.
Prefer predictable naming like /doc, /sandbox, /Archive N.

Examples

Template documentation:

Template:Infobox book/doc

Noticeboard archive:

Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Archive 312

User sandbox:

User:Example/Sandbox

Portal section:

Portal:Physics/Selected picture

Tools

Special:PrefixIndex/Parent/ — lists all subpages under a parent
Special:WhatLinksHere/Parent — see incoming links
Special:ExpandTemplates — test transclusions involving subpages

Wikipedia:Subpages