By default, this template categorizes pages into Category:Wikipedia backlog. If the parameter |, the page will be categorized into Category:Administrative backlog. In either case, a different category can be specified using the |category= parameter.

This template can be used without any parameters, in which case it will always be visible until it is manually removed:

     {{backlog}}

Which renders like this:

This page has a backlog that requires the attention of willing editors. Please remove this notice when the backlog is cleared.

This template automatically shows the appropriate style depending on what kind of page it is shown on. The style above is for "other" pages such as "Wikipedia:" pages, and the style shown in the examples below is for category pages.

Often it is more efficient to handle several cases in a backlog at a time, since then we are up to speed with what needs to be done. Thus we often don't want to know about a backlog until it has reached some size.

When this template is placed on a category page it can count the number of items in the category (pages + images + subcategories). Then it can be set to automatically only report when the number of items is above some limit. The autoreport limit can be set to whatever value you prefer. Like this:

{{backlog|10}}

If the category has 10 or more items this template will render like this:

This category has a backlog that requires the attention of willing editors. This notice will hide itself when this category has fewer than 10 items. (recount)

But if the category has less than 10 items then this template will not report the page (not categorise it into Category:Wikipedia backlog), and will instead render like this:

If this category has 10 items or more, it will be reported as a backlog. (recount)

Note that MediaWiki only parses the code when the category page is re-rendered. That is, when someone views the page and it is more than one week since it was last re-rendered. Thus it can take a week before this template changes when the number of items have changed. (But if no one visits the page then it can take forever.) To get an immediate change you can purge the page, for instance by clicking the (recount) button in the template.

Some categories have subcategories which shouldn't count towards this threshold. In such cases, use the number it should actually check for first, followed by the number it should say it checks for. For example, Category:Requests for peer review has 6 such subcats, so the code there is:

{{backlog|16|10}}

To prevent any output when there is no backlog, use {{backlog|silent=yes}}

• {{admin backlog}} – For tagging pages that have a backlog that require the attention of administrators.
• {{editsemiprotected}} - For requesting assistance from logged in editors (if you don't have an account yourself) to edit a semi-protected page.
• {{backlog status}} – for a list of backlogged maintenance categories with article counts
• {{backlog progress bar}} to visually see the backlog