Level A · WCAG 2.1
2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation
A pointer action can be aborted: it completes on release, not on press, and moving away cancels it.
Partly automated Some failures are detectable, others need judgement.
How it fails in practice
A “delete account” button that fires on mousedown, so a slip of the hand is irreversible.
How to fix it
Act on click or on the up event. Anyone with a tremor depends on being able to slide off the control and let go safely.
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
- 9.2.5.2
- 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.
Related criteria
Other criteria under the same guideline.
Find out which criteria your site fails
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