# Edit button after 5 minutes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [March 20, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478 "2013-03-20T18:59:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/1 "2013-03-20T18:59:12Z")

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I just returned to a post I made in a Botticelli game, realizing I earned a DQ. Seeing the “Edit” button, I tried to edit the post. Got the “outsie 5 minutes” message. Why does “Edit” stay beyond 5 minutes if we can’t edit?

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/2 "2013-03-20T19:00:25Z")

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That is really a question for the people who make the vBulletin software.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/3 "2013-03-20T19:18:42Z")

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If it was close to the 5 minute limit it could have rendered the page when you were still within the time and by the time you clicked on it you were past 5 minutes. Or if the page was still open after you submitted the post it doesn’t refresh just because you past the 5 minute limit.

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/4 "2013-03-20T19:28:31Z")

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You were still in the 5 minute window when you clicked the edit button. It opened an edit window. While you were editing your post, the 5 minute window expired. You hit submit, and it would not take the edit.

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**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/5 "2013-03-20T20:24:40Z")

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The images on the page aren’t updated until you refresh it, by trying to post an edit for example. The time stamps on posts don’t update either until you refresh the page.

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/edit-button-after-5-minutes/653478/6 "2013-03-20T21:01:58Z")

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> [@Irishman](#):
>
> You were still in the 5 minute window when you clicked the edit button. It opened an edit window. While you were editing your post, the 5 minute window expired. You hit submit, and it would not take the edit.

I’ve had that happen. When it does, I’ll just quote my post then I’ll post a disclaimer that the edit window timed out. Then I’ll make any corrections in the post under my quote.