Try Your Own Website Without a Mouse

A keyboard accessibility test takes a few minutes and needs only the keys in front of you. Here is how to run one on your own website, and what to fix when you get stuck.

To run a keyboard accessibility test, set your mouse or trackpad aside and try to finish the most important task on your website with the keyboard alone. Press Tab to move forward, Shift and Tab to move back, and Enter or Space to choose. If you can't reach a control, can't see where you are, or can't get out of a pop-up, a customer who relies on a keyboard is stuck in the same place.

The test is simple, and the results are clear. Either the task gets done, or the page stops you.

Who uses a website without a mouse?

Many customers move through the web with a keyboard, or with a tool that acts on the page the way a keyboard does.

• People with limited hand movement use keyboards and switches. Tremors, arthritis, paralysis, and repetitive strain injuries can make a mouse slow, painful, or impossible to use. Some people press a single switch, or use a mouth stick or head pointer, to send keystrokes.

• Screen reader users rely on the keyboard. On a computer, blind people using NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, or VoiceOver move through a page with keyboard commands, since a mouse pointer means little without sight.

• Some low vision users prefer the keyboard. A pointer is easy to lose on a magnified screen, and a clear focus outline is easier to follow.

• Anyone can end up without a mouse for a day. A broken trackpad, a sprained wrist, or a baby in one arm puts a person in the same spot.

Which keys do you need for the test?

• Tab moves forward. Each press should move to the next link, button, or form field.

• Shift and Tab move backward. Focus should return to the previous item in the same order.

• Enter follows a link or presses a button. Space also presses a button and checks or unchecks a checkbox.

• Arrow keys move inside a group. Radio buttons, menus, tabs, and drop-down lists usually use the arrows.

• Escape closes pop-ups and menus. A pop-up window or an open menu should close when you press Escape.

On a Mac, Safari skips links when you press Tab until you change a setting. Look in Safari's settings for the option about pressing Tab to highlight each item on a webpage, or run the test in another browser.

How do you run a keyboard accessibility test?

1. Pick one task that matters to your business, such as signing up, booking, buying, or sending a message.

2. Load the page and press Tab once. On many well-built sites, a "Skip to main content" link appears first, so keyboard users can pass the menu.

3. Keep pressing Tab and watch for the focus indicator, the outline or highlight that shows where you are.

4. Complete the task with the keyboard alone, including any pop-ups, menus, and form errors along the way.

5. Write down every moment you lose track of where you are, can't reach something, or can't return to an earlier step.

I suggest a keyboard pass early in any accessibility review, because the test finds serious problems fast.

What can a keyboard test miss?

A keyboard test can't tell you what a screen reader user hears, whether your colors have enough contrast, or how the page works at high zoom. A page can pass with the keyboard and still have images that say nothing to a listener. For that part, here is how to write alt text people can use.

Which problems should a keyboard test catch?

These are the problems to check first. Each one maps to a success criterion in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

• You can't see where you are. The focus outline has been removed or styled so faintly that the outline disappears. This fails 2.4.7, Focus Visible.

• Some controls can't be reached. Custom drop-down lists, menus that open only when a mouse hovers, and "buttons" built from plain boxes often can't take keyboard focus at all. This fails 2.1.1, Keyboard.

• Focus gets trapped. A video player, chat window, or embedded map takes focus and won't release focus. This fails 2.1.2, No Keyboard Trap.

• Focus jumps around the page. The order skips from the header to the footer and back, which makes a form hard to follow. This fails 2.4.3, Focus Order.

• Focus hides behind something. A sticky header, a cookie banner, or a chat button covers the item that has focus. WCAG 2.2 added 2.4.11, Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), for this problem.

• Pop-ups ignore the keyboard. Focus stays on the page behind an open window, Escape does nothing, or focus lands at the top of the page after the window closes.

• A long menu can't be skipped. Without a skip link or clear headings, a keyboard user presses Tab through every menu item on every page. This fails 2.4.1, Bypass Blocks.

How do you fix what you find?

Most fixes happen in the code, and many leave the page looking the same. I recommend real buttons and links instead of boxes made to look like them, because real controls work with the keyboard from the start. Keep a strong, visible focus outline, and give the outline enough contrast to stand out against your colors.

Move focus into a pop-up when the pop-up opens, keep focus there until the window closes, and return focus to the button that opened the window. Check that sticky headers and banners leave room for the item in focus. Then run the test again.

Why does this matter for your business?

A customer who can't reach the "Book now" button can't book, no matter how ready they are. Keyboard problems also tend to sit in the places that matter most, such as menus, forms, and checkout, because those are the places with the most custom code.

The fixes help far more people than keyboard users. A clear focus outline helps a person tabbing through a long form, and a working skip link saves time for anyone who knows the shortcut.

In short

• A keyboard accessibility test means finishing your main task with Tab, Shift and Tab, Enter, Space, the arrow keys, and Escape.

• Watch for a missing focus outline, controls you can't reach, focus traps, and pop-ups that ignore the keyboard.

• Real buttons and links, a visible focus outline, and careful focus handling in pop-ups fix the most common problems.

If you'd like me to test your site with a keyboard and more, from a single flow to a whole product, explore my accessibility audits.