Accessible Button Checker
Fast, secure, client-side utility running entirely in your browser with zero server dependencies.
Accessible Button Checker
Evaluate interactive buttons for native HTML5 semantics, accessible names, keyboard operability, and ARIA state announcements.
Accessible Button Checker - Button Semantics, Keyboard & Name Linter: Free Accessible Button Checker tool: audit button elements against WCAG criteria for semantic tags, accessible names, keyboard operability, and touch.
How to Use the Accessible Button Checker
Paste Button Element Markup
Insert any HTML button snippet, icon control, or custom clickable component into the analyzer.
Check Native HTML5 Semantics
Detects whether the element is a native <button> or a non-semantic <div onclick> or <span onclick>.
Calculate Accessible Name
Computes the programmatic accessible name generated by visible text, aria-label, or child image alt attributes.
Verify Keyboard Event Handling
Confirms that the control supports keyboard focus (Tab) and responds automatically to Enter and Space bar keys.
Comprehensive Guide: Accessible Button Checker
Buttons are the primary interactive catalysts of the modern web. Every time a user places an order, opens a drawer, deletes a record, or submits a form, they activate a button. Despite their ubiquity, buttons are frequently implemented incorrectly by attaching `onclick` event handlers to generic `<div>` or `<span>` elements, breaking accessibility for millions of keyboard and screen reader users.
When a developer writes `<button>`, modern web browsers provide a wealth of accessibility features automatically: the button is placed into the natural keyboard tab order; pressing Enter or the Space bar fires click events; screen readers announce its role as "Button"; and touch devices apply appropriate haptic feedback. Replacing `<button>` with `<div onclick>` strips all of these built-in browser behaviors.
To make a custom `<div>` button match the accessibility of a native button, a developer must manually add: `role="button"`, `tabindex="0"`, custom CSS `:focus-visible` styles, a keydown listener for Enter (code 13), a keydown listener for Space (code 32), and prevent default browser page scrolling on Space bar presses. Using native `<button type="button">` delivers all of this out-of-the-box with zero custom code.
Icon-only buttons present a widespread accessible naming barrier. In modern UI design systems, buttons frequently contain only an SVG icon—such as a gear icon for settings or a heart icon for favorites. If the button contains no text, screen readers announce it as "Button, unlabelled". Adding `aria-label="Account Settings"` or enclosing an off-screen `<span class="sr-only">Account Settings</span>` immediately resolves this critical defect.
Key Features & Capabilities
Native vs Fake Button Detection
Flags div and span clickable antipatterns that break native browser accessibility APIs.
AccName Precedence Calculation
Computes the exact accessible name vocalized by VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS.
Keyboard Operability Assurance
Verifies native Enter and Space bar activation without requiring complex JavaScript polyfills.
Button Type Attribute Audit
Prevents accidental form submissions caused by omitting type="button" on non-submit triggers.
Icon-Only Accessibility Remediation
Guides developers on properly applying aria-label and aria-hidden="true" to SVGs.
Clean Code Export
Provides production-ready accessible button templates for React, Vue, and vanilla HTML.
Frequently Asked Questions
A link (<a href="...">) navigates the user to a new URL, webpage, or anchor location on the page. A button (<button>) triggers an in-page action (such as submitting data, opening a modal, or playing a video) without changing the page URL. Conflating links and buttons confuses screen reader navigation modes.
The HTML specification dictates that the default type for a <button> is type="submit". If a button without a type attribute is placed inside a <form> (such as a "Show Password" toggle button), clicking it will accidentally submit the form and refresh the page.
Yes. When a button contains both an icon and visible text (e.g. <button>... Add to Cart</button>), add aria-hidden="true" to the SVG so the screen reader ignores the graphic and announces only the text.
For toggle buttons (like a mute/unmute button or favorite bookmark), use the aria-pressed attribute (aria-pressed="true" or aria-pressed="false"). When activated, screen readers announce "Button, pressed" or "Button, not pressed".
Historically, desktop OS conventions reserved cursor: pointer strictly for hyperlinks, while buttons retained the standard arrow cursor. However, in modern web development, adding cursor: pointer to <button> elements in CSS is standard visual practice.