Help:External link icons

Why an icon may appear

The active skin may add a small symbol after an external link to tell readers that it leads away from the wiki. This is presentation added by the site's styles, not part of the URL or source text. The icon can differ or be absent across skins, devices, accessibility settings and local configuration. An external link is still external if no icon appears.

Writing links accessibly

Use the ordinary external-link syntax and meaningful link text, for example Frontier Developments. Avoid labels such as “click here” when a more informative title is available. Do not type a decorative arrow or external-link symbol into every link; it can be announced awkwardly by assistive technology and may be duplicated by the skin.

When layout needs an exception

For a particular layout, plainlinks may suppress external-link decoration where supported; see Help:Plainlinks. Do not remove or imitate icons site-wide with inline styling. If icons overlap text or are hard to distinguish, report the page, skin and browser so the site presentation can be checked consistently.