wikiHow

Judy Backhouse
Screen shot of the front page of wikiHow web site. Text reads 'Welcome to wikiHow, the most trusted how-to site on the internet.' There is an image of a stack of books on the right and a search box.

What is wikiHow?

WikiHow is a web site that provides information about how to do everyday things. The wikiHow mission is to 'help everyone in the world learn how to do anything'. The web site is at https://www.wikihow.com and you don't need to sign up or log in to use it. It is free.

WikiHow is a for-profit company with a social mission. It makes money from subscriptions and advertising. For USD 4.99 monthly / USD 34.99 annually (April 2026), you can get access to exclusive courses and download articles in PDF format. 

How I use wikiHow

I use it regularly for important, everydoy questions like 'how to clean an extractor fan' and 'how to grow jasmine in a pot'. I usually find more than one helpful article with clear instructions.

Screen shot of an article in wikiHow on how to clean a bathroom fan
Screen shot of an article in wikiHow on how to grow jasmine in a pot

WikiHow is comprehensive. I have used it for questions about food, crafts, gardening, housework, exercise, travel and work. The site claims to have more than 340 000 articles (April 2026).

It's not so helpful for highly specialised topics. 'How to exercise safely with osteoporosis' does not return useful results. That kind of question is better left to more specialist sites.

Why I use wikiHow

Articles use a standard format, giving step-by-step instructions to complete a task, or reach a goal. Most are illustrated with images, diagrams, or videos. The articles are written in simple language and the images and videos are helpful.

The articles are quite short, although some give you multiple ways to tackle a problem and those can be rather long. In any case, it is possible to skim those and only read the sections that you want to.

It is easy to find relevant articles using a simple text search. There is also a menu of topics that takes you to a topic page which offeres further sub-topics as well as suggestions for aspects of that topic. There is even a button that will show you a random topic, which I have never used.

Why I trust wikiHow

Content is created by professional writers and community enthusiasts and reviewed by content managers in line with content and style guidelines. Content is then expanded with input from subject matter experts, especially when it relates to topics like health, psychology and law. Content also gets revised and updated based on feedback from users.

My reservations about wikiHow

WikiHow does tackle some weird subjects, particularly in the wikiHow relationships section, and has been criticised for this. I'm not a fan of the quizzes on topics such as 'Is my friend toxic?' since I don't think that kind of labelling is helpful. That said, if people are asking, then there is a need for this kind of thing and wikiHow is undoubtably giving  better answers than any of the AI options out there.

As far as I can work out, wikiHow only provides information in English.

Conclusion

The site claims to help people to 'solve problems, learn new skills, and feel supported in the ordinary and complex moments of life'. In my experience, wikiHow lives up to this promise. It's free, easy to use and gives me useful answers.