If you would like to try VisualEditor without editing a live article, you can freely test it here. You don't need an account to use VisualEditor on that page.
VisualEditor gives you the ability to edit without needing to learn simple wikitext markup, as is required by the default wikitext editor (also known as Source Editor). Unlike that editing tool, VisualEditor displays the text being edited almost as if it were already published. This guide gives illustrated, step-by-step instructions on the editor's features.
Be aware that VisualEditor is still in development and thus has known limitations and bugs, and this guide may occasionally lag behind the release of new updates. For larger pages, VisualEditor can be slower than using wikitext with Source Editor and is not available for discussion pages. While VisualEditor remains in development, you should review your changes to ensure that the edits are those you intended.
We welcome your problem sightings, comments and suggestions on the MediaWiki Feedback page. (Please note: In late 2017 all Save changes and Save page buttons were renamed Publish changes or Publish page. Every edit – even to drafts – is now saved in this way, and this should not be confused with putting drafts into the main part of Wikipedia. That is a separate process.)
VisualEditor is available on the following types of pages (namespaces):
VisualEditor is not available for use on discussion (talk) pages. Source editor must be used there instead.
If you are registered on Wikipedia, you can opt to make VisualEditor available for editing, by changing your preferences. You'll need a VisualEditor-supported browser; most are. In your preferences you need to go to the "Editing" tab and in the "Editor" section find the "Editing mode". Here you can choose to have both the visual and the source editor displayed or only the one you prefer.
If you are not registered, you can still use VisualEditor by adding ?veaction=edit to the end of a Wikipedia page URL. (Registered editors who have not enabled VisualEditor in their preferences – that is, the box for "Temporarily disable the visual editor while it is in beta" option is checked – can do the same.)
Moving a page with VisualEditor is functionally the same as moving it with the source editor; see Help:How to move a page for an introduction to moving pages, or Wikipedia:Moving a page for more detailed instructions.
Many editors are used to entering wikitext directly, especially bold, italics and wikilinks. Keyboard shortcuts allow to quickly insert similar formatting without having to use toolbar items. Here are the common general shortcuts in VisualEditor: