Magento WCAG 2.1 Checker

WCAG 2.1 for Magento Sites

WCAG 2.1 became a W3C Recommendation in June 2018. It added criteria for mobile, low vision and cognitive accessibility to WCAG 2.0, and it is the standard named in the US Department of Justice rule for state and local government websites, in EN 301 549 V3.2.1 and in most accessibility settlements.

This checker runs the free scan with the WCAG 2.1 AA preset, so the results match the standard your contract, policy or regulator is most likely to name for a Magento site.

On Magento stores, WCAG 2.1 issues show up in checkout and account forms (missing autocomplete), faint input borders and swatch outlines (non-text contrast), and cart updates that are not announced (status messages).

Who Should Run the Magento WCAG 2.1 Checker

• Magento site owners whose contracts or policies name WCAG 2.1 AA.
• State and local government bodies, under the ADA Title II rule.
• Businesses responding to an ADA demand letter, which usually cites WCAG 2.1 AA.
• Public sector bodies in the EU, under the Web Accessibility Directive.

WCAG 2.1 Criteria That Often Fail on Magento

• 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose

  Form fields that collect personal data, such as name, email and address, need the right autocomplete attribute.

• 1.4.10 Reflow

  Content must reflow at 320 CSS pixels wide, the same as 400% zoom, without scrolling in two directions.

• 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast

  Buttons, form borders, icons and focus indicators need a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.

• 1.4.12 Text Spacing

  Text must stay readable when users increase line, paragraph, letter and word spacing.

• 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus

  Tooltips and menus that appear on hover or focus must be dismissible, hoverable and stay visible.

• 4.1.3 Status Messages

  Messages such as “added to cart” or form errors must be announced to screen readers without moving focus.

Where Magento Sites Usually Fail WCAG 2.1

These problems come up again and again on Magento sites, and each one fails WCAG 2.1. The Magento accessibility checker explains how to fix them in Magento.

• Swatch options. Configurable product swatches are often built from elements that cannot be reached with Tab, or that have no text describing the color or size they represent.
• Layered navigation. Filter links and sliders on category pages can lack names and state, and the product list that changes after a filter is applied is not announced.
• Checkout step forms. The multi-step checkout is drawn by script, and field errors or step changes can appear without any announcement to assistive technology.
• Product images and content. Catalog imports and bulk uploads often leave image alt text blank or fill it with file names, and CMS blocks use styled text instead of real headings.
• Extension modals and popups. Newsletter popups, cookie banners, review and wishlist extensions each add their own dialogs, and each can trap or lose keyboard focus.

Worried about ADA claims as well? The Magento ADA compliance checker covers the Magento risks behind most complaints.

What to Test by Hand on Magento

Automated testing finds many, but not all, WCAG 2.1 failures. Check these yourself after the scan:

1. Zoom to 400% and check nothing is cut off or needs scrolling in two directions (1.4.10).
2. Apply increased text spacing with a bookmarklet and check text is still readable (1.4.12).
3. Open hover menus and tooltips and check you can dismiss them with Escape (1.4.13).
4. Rescan after each fix. Continuous monitoring rescans up to 500 URLs per domain daily and keeps a dated record in the Compliance Vault.

Start 3-day free trial

Related Guides

• WCAG 2.1 AA CheckerThe WCAG 2.1 standard in full, for any website.
• WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) explained simply: the 4.5:1 and 3:1 ratios, what counts as large text, the exceptions, fixes and how to test your colors.
• WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content explained simply: how to write alt text for every kind of image, icon, chart and CAPTCHA, with code examples and a test routine.
• Keyboard Accessibility TestingA practical guide to keyboard accessibility testing: what to check, the exact keys to use, and a component-by-component reference table mapped to WCAG.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any criterion the scan flags, in plain language.

Magento WCAG 2.1 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions