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I've seen a lot of questions tagged with both and a more specific tag such as , , , or .

However in the description of , it clearly says:

For issues not specific to a single version of Microsoft Windows. Otherwise, use a more specific tag (...)

Should these questions be re-tagged to remove the general tag because there is a more specific tag? Or is there a consensus that the excerpt is incorrect and this is a fine practice?

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    As far as I understand it (and I was the last one to edit the tag), using both [windows] and a more specific tag at the same time isn't exactly correct practice. It's okay to edit [windows] out in this case.
    – bwDraco
    Oct 15, 2015 at 21:29
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    @DragonLord Oooooh Noooo. I'm close to getting my first gold tag badge in Windows :(
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Oct 15, 2015 at 21:32
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    I believe that you should (of course) always use the specific tag for the version that you're using, but also use the generic [windows] tag unless you're sure that the problem is unique to that version.
    – Scott - Слава Україні
    Oct 15, 2015 at 22:33
  • Seems like we have a conflicting opinion. Either remove the windows from questions with another specific tag, or add the windows to questions without it that also have a specific tag (as per Scott). I'm actually not sure which would be best.
    – Insane
    Oct 15, 2015 at 22:55
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    @DavidPostill "close to getting my first gold tag badge in Windows" One of us! One of us! One of us!
    – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007
    Oct 16, 2015 at 14:06
  • @Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 LOL ;)
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Oct 16, 2015 at 14:08
  • @Insane: there is people that searches posts with tag and keywords. When we delete a tag the same research will not give any more that post in the answer... and we obtain the opposite effect. We should be cautious when we delete a tag, and even when we retag an old question "well visited". It is suggested even simply to merge with caution...
    – Hastur
    Jan 28, 2016 at 8:42

1 Answer 1

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Good Practice When Writing a Question

The tag wiki is accurate. Version-specific tags are for issues that don't apply to all versions, or questions about a specific version. In those cases, the version-specific tag is important information about the nature of the problem. If the problem is version-specific, adding the version-agnostic tag is just confusing and defeats the purpose.

  • Questions about a problem concerning, or specific to, one version: use just that version tag.

    How do I do XYZ in Win XP?
    I just installed Win 10 and nothing works anymore.

  • Questions about a problem or feature that applies just to a range of versions, like something introduced in Win 8 that also applies to 8.1, and you know that the issue applies to several versions: include the applicable version tags. It could be helpful to others searching for a solution.

  • Questions where you don't know whether your problem is version-specific: use the version-agnostic tag and mention your version in the question. However, this is a case where nothing would be lost in including both tags.

  • Generic question that applies to all versions (or at least all non-ancient versions): use just the version-agnostic tag. Adding a version-specific tag just confuses things.

It's generally a good idea to mention the installed version within the question.

Retagging an Existing Question

  • If better tags will help the question get answered, or help future searchers find it, retag it.

  • If better tags won't make a difference, don't bump the question just to perfect the tags. This would include new questions where the tags are "good enough", and old questions that have already been well answered despite "sub-optimal" tags.

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    I like this answer. It covers all the possibilities together with clear explanations.
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Oct 16, 2015 at 11:57
  • Indeed. Thank you
    – Insane
    Oct 16, 2015 at 20:12

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