The Canadian Encyclopedia — neutral, cited, updated
July 26, 2026Sources cited
Canadianwire.
Canada’s encyclopedia & explainer
Home›Technology & Internet›Social Media›Yahoo Answers
Technology & Internet • Social Media

Yahoo Answers

Yahoo Answers was a community-driven question-and-answer website operated by Yahoo.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Yahoo Answers was a community-driven question-and-answer website operated by Yahoo. Users could post questions, answer other users, and vote on responses, with content organized into categories and subcategories. The service launched in 2005 and shut down for most languages in 2021, with the Japanese version remaining online after the global shutdown date.

Overview

Yahoo Answers was designed as a community-driven knowledge-sharing service. It allowed users to submit questions, respond to others, and help surface popular answers through voting.

History

The service launched in 2005 and became one of Yahoo's best-known user-generated content products. Yahoo announced in April 2021 that the site would shut down, with operations ending in May 2021 for most languages.

How it worked

Users could post questions on a wide range of topics, and other users could answer them. Content was organized into categories and subcategories, and voting affected visibility.

Shutdown and archival

Yahoo stopped allowing new questions and answers in April 2021 and then shut the service down in May 2021. Yahoo also provided a way for users to download their own content before final deletion.

Key facts

  • Yahoo Answers was a Yahoo-owned community Q&A platform where users asked and answered questions.
  • The service launched in 2005 and became a widely used crowdsourced knowledge site.
  • Questions were grouped into categories and subcategories, and users could vote on answers.
  • Yahoo announced the shutdown in April 2021, ending new posts on April 20, 2021 and closing the site on May 4, 2021.
  • The Japanese version continued after the global shutdown date.

Frequently asked questions

What was Yahoo Answers?
It was a Yahoo-operated question-and-answer website where users posted questions and answered each other.
When did Yahoo Answers launch?
It launched in 2005, with sources citing June 28, 2005 as the launch date.
When did Yahoo Answers shut down?
Most versions shut down on May 4, 2021, after new posts were disabled on April 20, 2021.
Did Yahoo Answers exist in Japanese after the shutdown?
Yes. The Japanese version remained online after the global shutdown date.
What kind of site was it?
It was a community-driven Q&A platform with categories, subcategories, user answers, and voting.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo_Answers
    Supports: Launch date, service description, shutdown timeline, and post-shutdown status for most languages.
  2. NPR — https://www.npr.org/2021/04/11/986203233/how-yahoo-answers-shaped-the-internet
    Supports: Shutdown announcement and cultural significance of the platform.
  3. The Independent — https://www.the-independent.com/tech/yahoo-answers-shut-down-b1827328.html
    Supports: Shutdown date, end of posting, and data download option for users.
  4. CNET — https://www.cnet.com/culture/internet/yahoo-answers-is-dead-but-its-weird-amusing-legacy-lives-on/
    Supports: Description of the service as a crowdsourced Q&A platform and shutdown context.
  5. Issa Rice — https://timelines.issarice.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Yahoo!
    Supports: Timeline notes on launch, shutdown, and Japanese version remaining online.