How to Get the Old Wikipedia Layout Back (3 Methods)

Last updated: October 1, 2026

Wikipedia didn’t break when it changed its look. It moved the furniture. If you spent years with the old page design and now find yourself hunting for things, wanting the old Wikipedia layout back is a reasonable request. It’s also possible, with one catch most guides skip: what you can do depends on whether you’re logged in.

Below are three ways to do it, what each one costs you, and what to check before you start. Wikipedia changes its interface from time to time, so the menu labels here follow the sources linked in this guide. If something looks different on your screen, trust your screen.

The quick answer

Logged in: open Preferences, go to the Appearance tab, choose Vector legacy (2010) under Skin, and save. The change sticks.
Logged out: add ?useskin=vector to the end of a page’s URL. It works for that page only, because logged-out readers can’t change skins.
Automatic without an account: a browser extension or custom style can force the old look, with security trade-offs covered below.

What actually changed

Wikipedia calls its looks skins. According to Wikipedia’s own Skin page, there were five in January 2024: Vector 2022, Vector 2010, Minerva Neue (the mobile skin), MonoBook and Timeless. The new look is Vector 2022. The MediaWiki team says it has been working on it since 2019. It reached English Wikipedia at the start of 2023, according to How-To Geek, though Wikipedia’s Skin page dates the default from 2022, so sources differ slightly on the exact timing.

The old look is Vector 2010, listed in your preferences as Vector legacy (2010). It was the desktop default from 2010 until the switch. How-To Geek notes that some actions take more clicks in the new design, which is the complaint behind most searches for the old layout.

Method 1: change it in Preferences (permanent)

This is the cleanest fix, and it needs a free Wikipedia account.

Log in to your account.
Open Preferences from the link at the top right of any page.
Click the Appearance tab.
Under Skin, select Vector legacy (2010).
Scroll down and save your changes.

From then on, every page loads in the old design for as long as you’re logged in. If you ever want the new look back, repeat the steps and pick Vector (2022).

An account has a side benefit if you’re curious about editing. Our Wikipedia editing tips for beginners is a sensible next read, and our guide to finding suggested pages to edit helps you pick a first task.

Method 2: the URL trick (no account, one page at a time)

Wikipedia’s Skin page says logged-out readers are stuck with the default skin, but anyone can change how a single page looks by adding a skin name to the URL. For the old layout, add ?useskin=vector to the end:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page?useskin=vector

If the address already contains a question mark, use &useskin=vector instead. To go the other way for a single page, useskin=vector-2022 loads the new look. The change applies only to that page, so you’d repeat it for every article, which is tedious.

The Skin page also describes a bookmarklet, a browser bookmark that runs a snippet of JavaScript, to do this with one click. Something like the following should work on any article, though I haven’t tested this exact version:

javascript:var u=new URL(location.href);u.searchParams.set('useskin','vector');location.href=u;

Why can’t logged-out readers just pick a skin?

The MediaWiki team’s FAQ says most Wikipedia traffic comes from logged-out readers, and that offering personal settings to all of them would put heavy load on the servers. Its suggested alternatives for logged-out users are creating an account or using a browser extension that personalizes the interface.

Method 3: browser extensions

If you don’t want an account and don’t want to retype a URL, an extension can apply the old look automatically. Style managers such as Stylus and script managers such as Tampermonkey can inject custom CSS or scripts into Wikipedia pages.

The trade-off is trust. An extension that can modify pages can also read them, so install only from your browser’s official store, read the permissions it asks for, and prefer well-reviewed, actively maintained ones. I can’t recommend a specific script, because I haven’t tested any, and a script that worked a year ago may not match today’s page structure. For most readers, a free account is both simpler and safer.

Other skins and the mobile site

Vector legacy isn’t the only older option. MonoBook was the default from roughly 2004 to 2010 and is still selectable, and Timeless is another alternative in the same menu. If you want the earliest look, How-To Geek says the original 2001 layout survives only at nostalgia.wikipedia.org. That’s an archive to visit, not a setting you can switch on.

On a phone, the mobile site uses Minerva Neue, a separate skin. The Preferences route above is aimed at the desktop site. If your phone loads the mobile version, requesting the desktop site in your browser and then adding the URL parameter is the likeliest workaround, but I haven’t tried it on every device.

Is the old layout worth it?

Reasonable people disagree. Fans of the old layout say it’s familiar, and that tools they use often are one click away. The MediaWiki team’s FAQ says Vector 2022 grew out of research with readers and editors, which is why the old skin is kept as a choice for people who prefer it. Neither side is simply right. If you mostly read, the new design may grow on you. If you edit or jump between many articles, the old one may save you time. The setting is reversible in about thirty seconds, so trying it costs very little.

For context on how Wikipedia’s look has shifted over time, our piece on the evolution of Wikipedia covers the wider story.

Will the old layout disappear?

I found no announcement that Vector 2010 is being removed, and the most recent version of Wikipedia’s Skin page I could read, from January 2024, still lists it. But skins have been retired before. A 2013 notice on Meta-Wiki described several outdated skins being permanently removed from all Wikimedia wikis. The practical advice is the same as for any setting you depend on: check your Appearance tab now and then.

FAQ

Can I get the old Wikipedia layout without an account?

Only page by page, using ?useskin=vector, or automatically with a browser extension. A permanent, built-in setting requires logging in.

What is the old Wikipedia layout called?

Vector legacy (2010) in your preferences, or Vector 2010 on Wikipedia’s Skin page. MonoBook is older still.

Will the old layout work on my phone?

The mobile site uses a different skin, Minerva Neue, so the Preferences setting is aimed at the desktop site. Try your browser’s desktop-site option with the URL parameter, and expect results to vary by device.

Is the old layout going away?

I found no removal announcement, but I can’t promise it stays. Wikipedia has retired other skins in the past, so check the Appearance tab occasionally.

The short version

If you can log in, switch to Vector legacy (2010) in Preferences and forget about it. If you can’t or won’t, the URL parameter gets you the old look one page at a time. Before you reach for an extension, weigh the convenience against what it can see. If you edit, our guide to inserting external links on Wikipedia properly pairs well with a layout that feels like home.