Help:Archiving a source

On Wikipedia you can archive sources to prevent link rot. A comprehensive list of web archive sites can be found at WP:WEBARCHIVES (technical documentation) and List of Web archiving initiatives. Below are some of the most common. See also WP:Link rot for more detailed information.

Finding an archived source
You can use time travel to find an archive.

Note that as of early 2024, Google has removed links to its cached pages from Google search results (known informally as 'Google cache'). The article from Ars Technica in the link above describes an alternative method to access cached pages on Google that may still work.

Megalodon.jp
When archiving on Megalodon.jp, insert the URL in the "魚拓をURLで検索・取得" field and click "検索と確認". Complete the captcha under "このまま魚拓をとる", and then click "取得" to start the archival process.

Conifer
Conifer was previously called Webrecorder. When adding https://conifer.rhizome.org/ links, it's recommended to add a to keep IABot from removing it.

There is some info at Using Webrecorder.

Ghostarchive.org
Ghostarchive.org uses the Webrecorder technology and is thus able to save dynamic content such as YouTube videos, JavaScript etc. it is a general purpose archive service on demand with no login or usage cap requirements.

Usage instructions:
 * For the moment (as of September 2021), it's recommended to add a following the citation template using ghostarchive.org to keep IABot from removing it, which it might do automatically until IABot has been programmed to recognize it.
 * Tracked at ; marked resolved, but unclear if still problematic: comment: T291588


 * The site has default URL shortening e.g. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/fwAS7 .. this is disallowed on Wikipedia per RfCs and policy to prevent abuse. Use the long form URL instead. The long URL can be found by checking another URL first:


 * For regular web pages:
 * https://ghostarchive.org/longurl/o9UcZ -> https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210728022510/https://rms-support-letter.github.io/
 * For video pages eg.YouTube:
 * http://ghostarchive.org/vlongurl/UhCiGY75wVw -> https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20100711020000/UhCiGY75wVw
 * For Instagram pages:
 * https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/iyogitabihani/2801706102334087488 -> https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/ilongurl/instagram/iyogitabihani/2801706102334087488 -> https://ghostarchive.org/archive/2021/https://instagram.com/p/CbhqNsiquFA


 * Thus it is a two step process: determine what the long URL is; add it to Wikipedia.


 * To find the earliest and latest archive available use a timestamp of "1990" or "3000" e.g.
 * https://ghostarchive.org/archive/1990/https://rms-support-letter.github.io/will find the earliest archived copy of that webpage, while
 * https://ghostarchive.org/archive/3000/https://rms-support-letter.github.io/will find the latest.
 * Note: Do not use 1990 or 3000 in Wikipedia it should be the actual timestamp.