WCAG 2.1 · Level A · Operable
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures
Manual verification
How to validate 2.5.1 by hand
Check multipoint or path-based gestures and verify an equivalent single-pointer alternative when required.
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.
- Identify actions that require multiple simultaneous contacts or a path gesture, such as pinch, rotate, or drawn paths.
- Try to complete the same action with one pointer without tracing the required path, using a button, slider, or other control.
- Check whether the gesture is essential to the function or is handled by the user agent rather than the page.
Evidence to record
Record the gesture, task outcome, available single-pointer alternative, and any claimed essential or user-agent exception.
Scope and exceptions
Simple single-pointer actions such as tapping are outside this gesture requirement. Distinguish a path-dependent function from a gesture chosen only as the current implementation.
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.