Website Accessibility Checker
Scan a public web page for WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA issues that automated testing can detect.
AccessMate accessibility browser add-ons
Check any web page for accessibility issues, right in your browser
Find accessibility issues as you browse. Run WCAG 2.2 checks, inspect problem elements and get practical guidance to fix them, in Chrome or Firefox.
Add to Firefox (opens in a new tab)
Chrome: coming very soon
- Free, no account
- WCAG 2.2 A and AA rules
- Runs in your browser
Four ways to check a page
Scan, Inspect, Visualise and Contrast, in Chrome's side panel or Firefox's sidebar. Choose a mode to see what it does.
Scan
Find WCAG issues on the page you're viewing
Select Scan this page and get results in a few seconds, with the same results model and wording as the AccessMate Website Accessibility Checker.
- Automated WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA rules from axe-core 4.14.0, with optional AAA and best-practice rules that are always labelled.
- Issues sorted by severity, each with its WCAG success criteria and the elements affected.
- Show outlines every affected element on the page and scrolls to the first one.
- Fix guidance and example fixes for each issue, plus items that need review, manual checks and passed checks.
- An indicative score and grade, as in AccessMate Tools and the WordPress plugin.
- Export the results as JSON or a self-contained HTML report.
Inspect
Inspect structure, images and forms
See how assistive technology reads the page, with problems flagged and each element highlighted when you select it.
- The heading outline, with skipped levels and other structure problems.
- Landmarks such as banner, navigation, main and footer.
- Images with their alt text, and a preview of each image.
- Form labels and the accessible names of controls.
Visualise
Visualise the page as others experience it
Overlays and simulations that only you see. They go away when you turn them off, reload the page or close the panel.
- Labelled outlines for scan issues, headings, landmarks, keyboard tab order and images with their alt text.
- Colour-vision and low-vision simulations for design review. They're approximations and don't replace testing with disabled people.
- A text spacing test for WCAG 1.4.12, applied to the page for you.
Contrast
Check colour contrast without leaving the page
The AccessMate Color Contrast Checker, built into the panel.
- Pick an element on the page to read its text and real background colours. In Chrome, you can also use the eyedropper on any pixel.
- WCAG AA and AAA results for normal text, large text and UI components.
- Suggested colours that pass, and contrast failures from a scan open with their measured colours.
Chrome and Firefox
One checker, two browsers
Both versions are built from the same code, with the same checks, panel and exports. This is what differs.
| Feature | Chrome | Firefox |
|---|---|---|
| Where it opens | Chrome: Chrome's side panel, for the tab you opened it on. It comes back when you return to that tab. | Firefox: Firefox's sidebar, which follows the tab you're on and keeps each tab's results. |
| Browser version | Chrome: Chrome 116 or later | Firefox: Firefox 140 or later, on desktop (not Firefox for Android) |
| Contrast colours | Chrome: Pick an element, or use the eyedropper on any pixel | Firefox: Pick an element (Firefox has no eyedropper for add-ons) |
| Files on your computer | Chrome: Turn on “Allow access to file URLs” for AccessMate | Firefox: Open them through a local web server |
| Status | Chrome: Coming very soon to the Chrome Web Store | Firefox: Available now on Firefox Add-ons |
Add to Firefox (opens in a new tab)
Chrome: coming very soon
Made for the people who build and test websites
A companion to AccessMate Tools for everyday development and QA work.
Developers and front-end engineers
Check pages as you build them, including local and staging sites, and jump straight to the failing element.
UI and UX designers
Test contrast, preview colour-vision and low-vision simulations, and try the WCAG text spacing test.
QA and accessibility testers
Run the same checks on every page, in Chrome and Firefox, review items that need a person, and export results as HTML or JSON.
WordPress and content teams
Check any page you can open. On WordPress sites, the panel points to the free AccessMate plugin for whole-site scans.
How it works
From any page to a list of fixes in four steps
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Step 1: Open a web page in Chrome or FirefoxAny page you can open, including ones behind a login and sites on your own computer.
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Step 2: Launch AccessMateClick AccessMate in the toolbar, or press Alt+Shift+A. It opens in Chrome's side panel or Firefox's sidebar.
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Step 3: Run a scanChoose the rules to check against (WCAG 2.2 AA by default) and select Scan this page.
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Step 4: Explore and fixFilter the findings, show affected elements on the page and follow the fix guidance.
Privacy and security
Your pages stay in your browser
The extension has no server, account, analytics, telemetry or remote code, in Chrome or Firefox. axe-core runs in the tab, separate from the page's own scripts, and the results live in the panel until you close it. Page content, form values, cookies and screenshots aren't sent to AccessMate or anyone else, and form values are never read. The only requests it makes are for image previews in the Images inspector, loaded from the address the page already uses and without a referrer, and links you choose to open.
| Permission | Why it's needed | What it doesn't allow |
|---|---|---|
| Side panel (Chrome only) | Why it's needed: Shows the checker in Chrome's side panel, next to the page. Firefox's sidebar needs no permission. | What it doesn't allow: Anything outside the extension's own panel. |
| Active tab | Why it's needed: Gives access to the current tab only after you click the toolbar button or press the shortcut. | What it doesn't allow: Access to other tabs or sites. It ends when you leave the page. |
| Scripting | Why it's needed: Runs the bundled checks in the tab when you start a scan or inspection, and draws highlights you ask for. | What it doesn't allow: Running anything automatically. Nothing runs until you ask. |
| All sites (optional) | Why it's needed: Asked for only if you choose “Allow on all sites”, so you don't have to click the toolbar button first. You can remove it at any time in your browser's add-on settings. | What it doesn't allow: Checking pages on its own. Checks still run only when you start one. |
It doesn't ask for access to your tabs list, storage, downloads, cookies or browsing history. In Firefox, it declares that it collects no data.
Know the limits
Automated checks are a starting point
Automated checks find some barriers, not all. Passing them doesn't mean a page conforms to WCAG. The extension keeps automated failures, items that need review and manual checks separate, and never claims a page is compliant. Test with a keyboard and a screen reader too.
Frequently asked questions
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What is the AccessMate Accessibility Checker?
A browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that checks the page you're viewing against automated WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA rules. It opens in Chrome's side panel or Firefox's sidebar. It's the browser companion to AccessMate Tools, with the same results model and wording as the Website Accessibility Checker.
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Is it free? Do I need an account?
Yes. It's free to use, with no account or sign-in.
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Which WCAG versions does it support?
It checks automated rules for WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 at Levels A and AA, using axe-core 4.14.0. You can add WCAG AAA rules and best-practice rules; their results are labelled separately, and the score uses Level A and AA rules only.
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Can I check staging and password-protected websites?
Yes. The extension checks the page as it's loaded in your browser, so it works on pages behind a login, staging sites and local development servers. To check files on your computer in Chrome, turn on “Allow access to file URLs” for AccessMate in chrome://extensions; in Firefox, open them through a local web server. Browsers don't let extensions check their own pages or their add-on stores.
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Does it work with WordPress?
Yes, it checks WordPress pages like any other page. On WordPress sites that don't have the AccessMate plugin, the panel suggests the free plugin, which checks every page of your site.
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When will the Chrome version be available?
The Firefox version is available now on Firefox Add-ons. The Chrome version is coming very soon to the Chrome Web Store, and we'll add the link here as soon as it's live.
Use it alongside AccessMate Tools
Color Contrast Checker
Check text and background colours against WCAG 2.2 AA and AAA contrast, preview them, and get verified accessible alternatives.
PDF Accessibility Checker
Check a PDF for tagging, title, language, alternative text, headings, tables, links and forms. Your file is checked in your browser and never uploaded.
Using Chrome? Until that version is published, check any public page with the free Website Accessibility Checker.