Level A · WCAG 2.1
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures
Anything needing a multi-point or path-based gesture has a single-pointer alternative.
Partly automated Some failures are detectable, others need judgement.
How it fails in practice
An image gallery that only advances by swiping. A map that can only be zoomed by pinching.
How to fix it
Add buttons. The swipe stays; it just stops being the only way.
At a glance
- Level
- Level A — the minimum. Failing one of these usually makes something impossible rather than merely hard.
- Principle
- Operable
- Guideline
- 2.5 Input Modalities
- Added in
- WCAG 2.1
- EN 301 549
- 9.2.5.1
- Automated check
- Partly automated
Partly automated
How far an automated check gets
A tool finds some failures here and cannot see the rest. A clean automated result means the checks that exist found nothing — not that the criterion is met. This is the gap that makes a green scan look like an accessible site, and it is where the keyboard agent, the agents still in development and a human reviewer do the remaining work.
Where it matters most
The guides that list it among the criteria to check first.
Related criteria
Other criteria under the same guideline.
Find out which criteria your site fails
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