WCAG 2.1 · Level AA · Perceivable
WCAG 1.4.4 — Resize Text, explained with examples
Text must be resizable to 200% without loss of content or functionality. Users with low vision routinely zoom to 150–200%. Fixed-pixel layouts and overflow:hidden frequently break.
- Number
- 1.4.4
- Level
- AA
- Principle
- Perceivable
- Guideline
- 1.4 Distinguishable
Why this criterion exists
Users with low vision routinely zoom to 150–200%. Fixed-pixel layouts and overflow:hidden frequently break.
If you only remember one thing: text must be resizable to 200% without loss of content or functionality. Everything else on this page is detail.
Who feels it when this fails
Accessibility criteria sometimes feel abstract until you see who pays the cost when a site ignores them. Resize Text affects:
Low-vision users
Older users adjusting browser zoom
How sites typically fail it
These are the patterns we see week after week. None are intentional — they are accidents of how teams build interfaces under deadline. Knowing the failure modes is the fastest path to writing them out of your component library.
Fixed-px layouts that overflow when zoomed
Modals smaller than the viewport at 200%
How to test for it
Zoom to 200% and verify all content and controls remain reachable.
Automated scanners catch this criterion most of the time, but never all of the time. Manual testing with the keyboard and a screen reader closes the gap.
A code fix you can copy
Use rem-based sizing so user font preferences and zoom both work.
The problem
body { font-size: 14px; }The fix
:root { font-size: 100%; }
body { font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.5; }Use rem-based sizing so user font preferences and zoom both work.
Other Perceivable criteria
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