WCAG 2.0 · Level AAA · Perceivable
1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception)
Manual verification
How to validate 1.4.9 by hand
Check whether any image of text is used where text presentation could achieve the same visual result.
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.
- Locate every image containing text, including decorative labels and text inside controls.
- Ask whether the text could be rendered with available fonts and styling while preserving the intended presentation.
- If text must appear in the image, document why the presentation is essential under the criterion’s exception.
Evidence to record
Record each image of text, whether the same effect can be achieved with text, and the evidence for any essential-use exception.
Scope and exceptions
This Level AAA version removes the customization exception available at Level AA; essential presentation and logotype exceptions still need to be evaluated.
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.