WCAG 2.0 · Level A · Perceivable
1.1.1 Non-text Content
Provide a text alternative for non-text content so people can access its information or purpose in another form. The criterion has exceptions, including decoration, controls, time-based media, and CAPTCHA; the right alternative depends on how the content is used.
Manual verification
How to validate 1.1.1 by hand
Review each meaningful image, icon, chart, control, audio or video item in the context where it is used.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- List the non-text items that communicate information or provide an action; separate decorative items from informative ones.
- Inspect the accessible name or alternative with a screen reader, then compare it with the information or action a sighted person receives.
- For charts, diagrams, CAPTCHA, and time-based media, verify that an equivalent way to understand or complete the task is actually available.
Evidence to record
Record the element, its surrounding task, the alternative announced, and the information or action that is missing or represented.
Scope and exceptions
An empty alternative can be correct for decoration; a non-empty alternative can still be wrong. The criterion has specific exceptions for controls, media, CAPTCHA, and sensory experiences; assess the applicable exception rather than applying one image rule to everything.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.
Why it matters
Text can be presented visually, spoken aloud, or converted to braille. A useful alternative communicates the information or action that the non-text content provides in its context.
Examples and distinctions
Informative image
Describe the information the image adds. A chart needs its important trend or values available as text; repeating a filename or saying “image” does not help.
Decorative image
If an image adds no information and is purely decorative, hide it from assistive technology (for an HTML image, an empty alt attribute is one common technique).
Image used as a control
Name the action or purpose of the control. WCAG 1.1.1 points to additional control-name requirements in Success Criterion 4.1.2.