WooCommerce WCAG 2.1 Checker

WCAG 2.1 for WooCommerce 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 WooCommerce site.

On WooCommerce 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 WooCommerce WCAG 2.1 Checker

• WooCommerce 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 WooCommerce

• 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 WooCommerce Sites Usually Fail WCAG 2.1

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

• Variation pickers and swatches. Color and size swatches built from clickable boxes often have no accessible name or keyboard support, so a shopper cannot choose a variation without a mouse.
• Product galleries and zoom. Gallery sliders, thumbnail strips and lightbox zoom can trap keyboard focus, and product photos are often uploaded with no alt text or just the file name.
• Cart and checkout forms. Coupon fields, quantity steppers, address fields and account sign-up can lack labels, and checkout errors are not always announced to screen reader users.
• Mini cart and off-canvas drawers. Slide-in carts and menus often fail to move focus into the drawer, let focus wander behind it, or ignore the Escape key.
• Payment gateway and express checkout embeds. Card fields, wallet buttons and pay-later messages load in iframes from the gateway. Missing frame titles and low-contrast widgets are outside your theme, so they need a different fix.

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

What to Test by Hand on WooCommerce

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.

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Related Guides

• WCAG 2.1 AA CheckerThe WCAG 2.1 standard in full, for any website.
• WCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value explained simply: give every control a name, role and state with native HTML and ARIA, with code examples and how to test.
• WCAG 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions explained simply: visible labels, format hints, grouped fields and required markers, with code examples and a test routine.
• 5 Best ADA Compliance Software for Small Businesses (Updated 2026)The 5 best ADA compliance software for small businesses in 2026: AccessBell, AccessibilityChecker.org, AudioEye, UserWay and accessiBe, by price and features.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any criterion the scan flags, in plain language.

WooCommerce WCAG 2.1 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions