WCAG 2.1 · Level A · Operable
2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts
Manual verification
How to validate 2.1.4 by hand
Check single-character keyboard shortcuts that operate in the page or application.
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.
- Test documented and discoverable single-key shortcuts while focus is in different controls and regions.
- Check whether the shortcut can be turned off, remapped to include a non-printable modifier, or is active only while its component has focus.
- Verify the available control or focus restriction using the keyboard itself.
Evidence to record
Record the character, action, focus context, and whether one of the criterion’s three protections is available.
Scope and exceptions
Shortcuts for components where the character is not used alone, or where the shortcut applies only to the focused component, may be outside scope. Evaluate the stated exceptions.
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.