 | This is an information page. It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of the blocking and banning policies. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia uses the terms "block" and "ban" in specific ways. If you can't edit Wikipedia, you are more likely blocked than banned. |
When new contributors find that they cannot edit Wikipedia, they sometimes use the term "ban" to refer to the restriction placed on them. Sometimes administrators correct them by saying, "You have been blocked, not banned," but this does not make things very clear.
Bans on other sites edit
On some other sites, a ban is a restriction that permanently forbids someone from participating in activities (such as discussions) on that site. It is usually given by an administrator, a moderator, or another user with authority on that site. Some sites have temporary bans and may use the term permaban for a permanent restriction.
Blocks on Wikipedia edit
Bans on these other sites are most similar to blocks on Wikipedia. Here, administrators can restrict people from editing, either temporarily or permanently. These are known as temporary blocks and indefinite blocks, respectively.
Then what's a ban on Wikipedia? edit
A ban on Wikipedia is a more serious restriction. They can only be issued by a community discussion or by the Arbitration Committee (a "last resort" for serious issues). Bans come only after multiple attempts at resolving an issue have failed.
Site bans edit
Site bans are also similar to permanent bans on other sites, and they are often accompanied by an indefinite block. However, as said before, these can only be placed by the community through discussion or by the Arbitration Committee. Also, while a simple indefinite block (with no ban) can be appealed immediately, bans usually can only be appealed after a year.
Topic bans edit
Topic bans forbid a user from editing pages relating to a certain subject area. This is usually not accompanied by a block, because the user is still free to edit other pages. Later on, however, blocks may be issued for violating the topic ban.
Administrators can issue topic bans in some cases, as authorized by community discussion or Arbitration Committee decision as described before.
Interaction bans edit
Interaction bans forbid users from interacting with each other (leaving messages on each other's talk pages, replying to each other's comments, commenting on each other, or undoing each other's edits). This usually comes after a long-standing dispute between the users. Like topic bans, interaction bans usually do not come with a block, but blocks may be given for violating them.