---
title: "Marking Articles as Stale"
description: "If an article needs to be updated, marking it as Stale can keep your product & articles in sync and visitors happy. 😄"
url: "https://support.helpdocs.io/article/du4vb7glc8-marking-an-article-as-stale"
category: "Stale Articles"
updated_at: "2026-08-03T16:41:23Z"
---

# Marking Articles as Stale

Whether you're an engineer marking outdated articles based on a product update or part of the customer support team reminding yourself to update some information, marking an article as Stale can keep your product & articles in sync and visitors up to date.

🤔 Not sure what a stale article is or when you should use it? Head over to [Getting Started with Stale Articles](/article/wu7b19i41c-marking-an-article-as-stale).

### Marking an Article as Stale

You can mark articles as stale immediately or schedule them to go stale in the future.

[Embedded iframe](https://demo.arcade.software/UCpVFY8hcZUtN46zEG29?embed&embed_mobile=tab&embed_desktop=inline&show_copy_link=true)

#### Marking as Stale Right Away

When you know an article is outdated right now, mark it as Stale immediately:

1. Head to the outdated article
2. In the article editor click the ![Exclamation mark with circle around](https://files.helpdocs.io/Ytt2uahFxY/articles/du4vb7glc8/1760198522591/stale-icon.svg)`Stale` button
3. Select `Now` from the pre-defined list
4. *Optionally* set a reason by writing your own or selecting a pre-defined reason
5. Click the `Set stale now` button
6. Your article is now marked as stale for your whole team to see

Why set a reason? 🤔

Adding a reason helps your team understand exactly what needs updating. Without this, your team may not know what to update when the time comes.

To make this process easier, we've provided a list of common pre-defined reasons. Just click on one and it'll fill it in for you ✨

[Embedded iframe](https://player.vimeo.com/video/1126461141)

### Scheduling Stale for a Future Date

Sometimes you know an article will become outdated at a specific time, like when a feature launches or gets deprecated. Scheduling Stale lets you plan ahead.

#### Setting Up Future Stale Dates

1. Head to the article
2. In the article editor click the ![Exclamation mark with circle around](https://files.helpdocs.io/Ytt2uahFxY/articles/du4vb7glc8/1760198522591/stale-icon.svg)`Stale`button
3. Select one of the time options or choose a date on the calendar
4. Click **Schedule stale in x** amount of time
5. Your article will automatically be marked as Stale at that time

When to schedule a Stale status 🕰️

- You know a feature will be deprecated on a specific date
- Product updates are planned that will affect the content
- You want periodic reviews of older content (set 6 months out)
- Beta features are becoming generally available

When to set Stale immediately ⚠️

- Content is already outdated or incorrect
- Screenshots no longer match the current UI
- Features mentioned have been removed or changed
- Links are broken or pointing to wrong places

#### Managing Scheduled Stale

Once you've scheduled an article to go Stale, you'll see the countdown timer in the editor. You can:

- Cancel the scheduled Stale anytime before it triggers
- Change the date by setting up a new schedule (this replaces the old one)
- Add or update the reason while it's still scheduled

[Embedded iframe](https://player.vimeo.com/video/1126465022)

#### What Happens After the Scheduled Date

When the scheduled date arrives:

- The article automatically becomes Stale
- Team members get notified in their weekly Stale email if they have them enabled
- The article & content views show the Stale indicators

### Best Practices for Stale

When multiple team members work on your Knowledge Base, specific reasons help everyone understand:

- What exactly is outdated or incorrect
- How urgent the update is
- What type of changes are needed
- Who might be best qualified to make the updates

#### Examples of Good vs Poor Reasons

| Good Reasons (Specific & Actionable)                                   | Poor Reasons (Vague & Unhelpful)            |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| "Screenshots show old dashboard. UI changed in v2.1 release"           | "Needs update" (what kind of update?)       |
| "API endpoint changed from /users to /accounts, update code examples"  | "Old content" (how old, what's changed?)    |
| "Feature removed in March 2025 update. Article needs complete rewrite" | "Check this" (check for what specifically?) |
| "Pricing changed, update all cost references and comparison table"     | "Outdated" (what makes it outdated?)        |

#### Standard Reason Categories

Consider using these categories to keep reasons consistent across your team:

- **UI Change:** Interface updates, new designs, moved buttons
- **Feature Removal:** Deprecated or removed functionality
- **Missing Content:** New features or options not yet documented
- **Broken Links:** URLs that no longer work or point to wrong pages
- **Process Change:** Updated workflows, new steps, changed procedures
- **Accuracy:** Incorrect information, wrong data, outdated policies

**Pro tip**: Include your initials. Example: "UI change after March release. Login flow updated (RS)"