Title: Wikipedia Preview
Author: Wikimedia Foundation
Published: <strong>May 25, 2021</strong>
Last modified: December 8, 2025

---

Search plugins

![](https://ps.w.org/wikipedia-preview/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3115078)

![](https://ps.w.org/wikipedia-preview/assets/icon.svg?rev=2542142)

# Wikipedia Preview

 By [Wikimedia Foundation](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wikimediafoundation/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/wikipedia-preview.1.17.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/#installation)
 * [Development](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/)

## Description

Enhance your website with free knowledge straight from Wikipedia!

Install Wikipedia Preview, the free add-on designed to better engage your visitors
and improve the user experience on your website.

The Wikipedia Preview plugin provides context to your site’s visitors with content
directly from Wikipedia. It allows you to add links to your content so that when
your visitors click or hover on them, they see a pop-up box with information and
images straight from Wikipedia. With Wikipedia Preview your visitors gain context
on a topic, without ever leaving your website.

Wikipedia Preview is an official plug-in designed and developed by the [Wikimedia Foundation](https://wikimediafoundation.org/),
the non-profit behind Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects.

The plug-in is entirely free to download and use, in line with the Wikimedia Foundation’s
mission to provide free knowledge for everyone.

**Benefits**

 * Rich-media content straight from Wikipedia, to give your site’s visitors the 
   context they need, without ever having to leave your website.
 * Always free.
 * Available in 300 languages.
 * Easy to set up. Adding Wikipedia Preview links is even easier than adding other
   hyperlinks.
 * Leveraging the content and brand name of one of the most popular websites in 
   the world.

**Features**

 * Can be set up using the same process you use to add hyperlinks to your articles
   or using the Gutenberg editor custom tool.
 * Handles any link to a Wikipedia article regardless of language, lead image presence
   or length.
 * Site owners can choose a specific section of an article as a preview, not limited
   to just the lead section.
 * Supports dark mode option for improved readability.
 * Works for Right-to-Left (RTL) and Left-To-Right (LTR) languages.
 * Offers access to a built-in gallery to dive into article images.
 * Can be disabled for any page using the post metadata sidebar.
 * Uses Gutenberg editor custom tool to search for Wikipedia articles and visualize
   Wikipedia Preview for readers.

**How to add preview links to your site**

**Option 1 – How to add Wikipedia Preview links using the Classic Editor:**

 * Add a Wikipedia article link to your site’s content using the same process you
   use to add hyperlinks to your articles.

**Option 2 – How to add Wikipedia Preview links using the Gutenberg/ Block Editor:**

 1. Highlight the text you want to link to a Wikipedia article.
 2. Select ‘W’ – Wikipedia Preview icon from the menu.
 3. You will see a list of suggested articles. Select the one you want to link to.
 4. Wikipedia Preview will automatically turn the link into a preview of the relevant
    Wikipedia article. You can easily customize the preview content by selecting a 
    specific section of the article.

## Screenshots

 * [[
 * Highlight text and select the ‘W’ icon to add a Wikipedia Preview in the Gutenberg
   editor
 * [[
 * Choose the desired Wikipedia article from the search results to create the preview
 * [[
 * Preview the Wikipedia article and customize the content using the toolbar
 * [[
 * Choose a specific section of the Wikipedia article to add as a preview
 * [[
 * Browse through the image gallery in the Wikipedia Preview with full-screen view
   and navigation options
 * [[
 * Add Wikipedia preview in the classic editor by inserting Wikipedia article link
   as usual
 * [[
 * Wikipedia Preview on a mobile device
 * [[
 * Browse through full-screen images in Wikipedia Preview on mobile devices

## Installation

Setting up the Wikipedia Preview plugin requires two simple steps:

 1. Install and activate the plugin on your site for free.
 2. Add preview links to your site content to improve the experience for your site 
    visitors.

**INSTALLATION:**

**Option 1 – Install using the automatic plug-in installer:**

 1. To add a plugin using the built-in plugin installer:
 2. Navigate to Plug-ins > select Add New.
 3. Use the search form in the top-right and search Wikipedia Preview.
 4. Click the Install Now button to install the plug-in.
 5. Once the plug-in installation is complete, click Activate to activate the plugin.

**Option 2 – Upload via WordPress Admin:**

 1. If you have a copy of the plug-in downloaded as a zip file, you can manually upload
    it and install it through the Plug-ins admin screen.
 2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
 3. Click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the screen.
 4. Select the zip file from your local filesystem.
 5. Click the Install Now button.
 6. When the installation is complete, you’ll see “Plug-in installed successfully.”
    Click the Activate Plug-in button.

**AFTER ACTIVATION:**

It’s easy to add Wikipedia Preview links to your site. It takes only a few seconds
to add a preview link and create a richer experience for your site visitors.

**Option 1 – How to add Wikipedia Preview links using the Classic Editor:**

 * Add a Wikipedia article link to your site’s content using the same process you
   use to add hyperlinks to your articles.

**Option 2 – How to add Wikipedia Preview links using the Gutenberg/ Block Editor:**

 1. Highlight the text you want to link to a Wikipedia article.
 2. Select ‘W’ – Wikipedia Preview icon from the menu.
 3. You will see a list of suggested articles. Select the one you want to link to.
 4. Wikipedia Preview will automatically turn the link into a preview of the relevant
    Wikipedia article.
 5. To customize the preview content, choose “Sections” from the toolbar. Select a 
    specific section of the article as the preview content.

**GETTING STARTED:**

Wikipedia Preview gives your site visitors context without leaving your site. We
recommend adding links to words, pronouns, or phrases that you think your site visitors
might be confused about or want more information about. Some sections of your site
may be enhanced by adding a lot of links; other sections of your site might not 
need any.
 Take a few minutes to add links retroactively to your existing content,
and take just a few seconds to add links to new content as you create it in the 
future. Your visitors will thank you! Let us know what you think about the product
as you’re using it – we love to hear from you.

## FAQ

### Is Wikipedia Preview free?

Yes, Wikipedia Preview is free. It has been made available to you by Wikimedia Foundation,
the nonprofit that powers Wikipedia with a mission of free knowledge equity.

### Does Wikipedia Preview work on any word?

Wikipedia Preview works with any word or phrase that has an article on Wikipedia,
in any of the available languages. However, Wikipedia articles are typically language
specific, meaning that different articles will be available in different languages.
Not every article is available in every language, but you control the language of
each preview on your site.

### What is the flow for implementing the Wikipedia Preview links in a post?

When writing articles, decide which words show a Wikipedia popup on a particular
post. The process of enabling the Wikipedia popup on a specific word is identical
to [adding a hyperlink](https://wordpress.org/support/article/paragraph-block/#insert-hyperlinks).

### After the implementation of Wikipedia Preview will there be any impact on the size of the page? Will it get laggy?

The words that will have a Wikipedia Preview popup on your site need to be annotated.
Those annotations add to the page size but not more than the regular hyperlinks 
you already use.

### How does one customise the preview style?

In the admin site, go to “Appearance / customize”, then select the “Additional CSS”
option from the left side menu. In the text box, the following CSS should reset 
the existing term style so you can adjust it to your liking.

    ```
    .wmf-wp-with-preview {
        border: 0;
        background-color: unset;
        padding: unset;
    }
    .wmf-wp-with-preview::after {
        content: '';
    }
    ```

### How can I select the language of my preview links?

You control the language of each preview link on your website when using the Wikipedia
Preview search bar. This allows you to select different languages for each of your
site’s previews, if you choose, particularly if your audience speaks multiple languages.
Since not every Wikipedia article is available in every language, this has the benefit
of creating previews for content that is not available in your site’s primary language.
For example, if your website is in Swahili, you will likely add previews of Wikipedia
articles in Swahili. However, you may find a word or phrase that does not have a
Wikipedia article in Swahili, but perhaps has an English article instead. You can
add the English preview in that case by using the Wikipedia Preview search bar. 
Note: Since Wikipedia is an ever-growing and expanding project, you may come back
later and find that the missing article is now available in your preferred language.

### Does the Wikipedia Preview plugin affect my website’s SEO?

No, the Wikipedia Preview plugin has zero impact on your website’s SEO. It operates
on the client side, does not duplicate content, and is implemented with SEO best
practices. Your search engine rankings remain unaffected.

### Is it compatible with all the browsers?

The Wikipedia Preview is compatible with the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox,
Opera, Edge (Current and previous version), Safari 5.1+, iOS 6.1+ and Android 4.1
+

### How can we share our experience with Wikipedia Preview with you?

Please leave reviews on our Wikipedia Preview plugin page

### How else can I work with the Wikimedia Foundation?

If you would like to explore a collaboration opportunity beyond Wikipedia Preview,
please contact partnerships@wikimedia.org

### Can I customize which part of a Wikipedia article appears in the preview?

Yes, site owners have the option to choose a specific section of an article as a
preview, rather than being limited to the lead section. This allows for more targeted
and relevant previews.

### Does Wikipedia Preview support dark mode?

Yes, Wikipedia Preview supports dark mode for improved readability.

## Reviews

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/bf387108d753ae9d1396f5b9d37fd835bae456a7d75145f0a8ac9a34db8e93d6?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[First African Distance Learning University (FADLU)](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/first-african-distance-learning-university-fadlu/)󠁿

 [Chime Giland](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fadluu/) October 16, 2025

First African Distance Learning University (FADLU) is the world’s first globally
accredited and licensed online university, founded by Chime Ifebuchechukwu Giland,
the youngest university owner in the world. FADLU, a leading online university in
Africa, boasts qualified lecturers and accreditation recognized worldwide.

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2ae5c68a14758854a77b6bf1284fcc3c9362310c32cc1b42a8a70a9b8c5b7e54?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Fantastic plugin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fantastic-plugin-2064/)󠁿

 [GBTI Network](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gbti/) June 30, 2025

Thanks!

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c143cac333de0d29c8b0aded5baa2e1ac5abc03eebf0876174efc1180d94731e?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Great to have](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/great-to-have-9/)󠁿

 [Frithjof](https://profiles.wordpress.org/tweet4ok/) June 23, 2025

Great to have Wikipedia at my fingertips!

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ec7fbacbaa9d309d052b0820a136d4e6faaf9e5012e4b22b061d9fe40453c8a4?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Great, but a little slow!](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/great-but-a-little-slow-2/)󠁿

 [Hossein Vatandoust](https://profiles.wordpress.org/3axisir/) April 21, 2025

This plugin is very good and I gave it 5 stars, but it has one small problem, which
is that it consumes a lot of resources when editing and makes it slow. I wish I 
could stop the automatic display of preview content of the marked words.

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/45fc2b336e75a9f8791229bce3e6f2b66d9c861e234584696d2c57c9105d4d15?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Great plugin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/great-plugin-40229/)󠁿

 [Krzysztof](https://profiles.wordpress.org/autori76/) March 4, 2025

Hi. He fulfills his task. I am happy with it. Thanks 🙂 [Wikipedia Preview]

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/706b9f9ad61d4b50db25319de73999a9d1f45019cd2c5d37dd6029771f588323?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Beautiful Plugin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/beautiful-plugin-119/)󠁿

 [johnalanmartinson](https://profiles.wordpress.org/johnalanmartinson/) November
23, 2024

A great find. Thank you for the hard work and thoughtfulness you put into this plugin.

 [ Read all 38 reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/)

## Contributors & Developers

“Wikipedia Preview” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ Wikimedia Foundation ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wikimediafoundation/)

“Wikipedia Preview” has been translated into 19 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wikipedia-preview/contributors)
for their contributions.

[Translate “Wikipedia Preview” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wikipedia-preview)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wikipedia-preview/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wikipedia-preview/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/wikipedia-preview/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/wikipedia-preview/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Meta

 *  Version **1.17.0**
 *  Last updated **4 months ago**
 *  Active installations **1,000+**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.1 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.9.4**
 *  PHP version ** 5.6.39 or higher **
 *  Languages
 * [Chinese (Taiwan)](https://tw.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [Dutch](https://nl.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Dutch (Belgium)](https://nl-be.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [English (UK)](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [French (France)](https://fr.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Galician](https://gl.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [German](https://de.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Korean](https://ko.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [Persian](https://fa.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Portuguese (Portugal)](https://pt.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [Spanish (Chile)](https://cl.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Spanish (Colombia)](https://es-co.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Spanish (Ecuador)](https://es-ec.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), 
   [Spanish (Spain)](https://es.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [Spanish (Venezuela)](https://ve.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   [Swedish](https://sv.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/), [Tamil](https://ta.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/),
   and [Ukrainian](https://uk.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/).
 *  [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wikipedia-preview)
 * Tags
 * [card](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/card/)[facts](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/facts/)
   [popup](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/popup/)[wiki](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/wiki/)
   [wikipedia](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/wikipedia/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/wikipedia-preview/advanced/)

## Ratings

 4.8 out of 5 stars.

 *  [  35 5-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/?filter=5)
 *  [  2 4-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/?filter=4)
 *  [  0 3-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/?filter=3)
 *  [  0 2-star reviews     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/?filter=2)
 *  [  1 1-star review     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/?filter=1)

[Add my review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ Wikimedia Foundation ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wikimediafoundation/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wikipedia-preview/)

## Donate

Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?

 [ Donate to this plugin ](https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ways_to_Give)