Zooming
Some people need to make the text and images on a website bigger to see them clearly.
What’s in it
What is it for?
Some people need to make the text and images on a website bigger to see them clearly. Pages must support this. When a user zooms in, the content should automatically rearrange itself to fit the screen. This is often called 'reflow'. A good page will reflow so that users never have to scroll from side to side to read a single sentence. This is very important for creating a positive experience for people with low vision.
All modern browsers support zooming. It's up to developers and designers to build layouts that still work when people zoom in.
How to support it
You can easily test if your page is zoomable, using the following steps:
On a computer:
- Hold the Ctrl key (or Cmd on a Mac) and press the + key.
- Zoom to 200% (twice the normal size) and check everything is readable and usable.
- Then zoom to 400%. Can you read everything without scrolling left and right? All information and buttons should still be visible and easy to use. Do all navigation menus and search bars work correctly?
On a mobile (known as 'pinch-to-zoom'):
- Put two fingers on your screen, close to each other
- Spread your fingers apart, keeping them touching the screen
- Release at your desired zoom level
NOTE: This is especially important on mobile devices. The 'pinch-to-zoom' feature must never be blocked. Disabling zoom creates a major barrier for accessibility and prevents people from using a tool they may rely on.