Accessibility Audit Checklist

The Accessibility Audit Checklist is a free, browser-based tool that helps developers, designers, and QA engineers systematically evaluate web content against WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) success criteria. The checklist organizes all testable criteria by conformance level (A, AA, AAA) and by the four WCAG principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

Each criterion includes its official WCAG number, name, a plain-language description, the conformance level, and practical guidance on how to test it. You can toggle each item between Pass, Fail, N/A, or Untested to track your audit progress. Real-time progress bars show completion percentages per category and per level.

All processing happens entirely in your browser. Your audit data is stored in localStorage on your own device and is never sent to any server. This makes the tool safe for auditing internal applications, staging environments, or any project where confidentiality matters.

When your audit is complete, export the results as a structured JSON file for integration with issue trackers, or as a Markdown report for documentation and stakeholder reviews. The filter controls let you focus on a specific level (e.g., only AA criteria) or a specific principle (e.g., only Operable) to break large audits into manageable sessions.

If you are testing color contrast specifically, the Accessibility Color Checker is a companion tool for measuring WCAG contrast ratios. For reviewing HTML semantics, the HTML Element Reference can help you choose the right elements for your markup. And to inspect CSS selectors used in your components, see the CSS Selector Reference.

1. Open the tool and review the progress overview cards showing completion by category.
2. Use the Level dropdown to filter criteria by WCAG conformance level (A, AA, or AAA).
3. Use the Category dropdown to filter by principle (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust).
4. Click the status badge on any criterion to cycle through Untested, Pass, Fail, N/A.
5. Click a criterion row to expand its description and "How to Test" guidance.
6. Use the small P / F / N/A buttons on the right to quickly set a specific status.
7. Click Export JSON or Export MD to download your audit report.
8. Use the Reset button to clear all results and start a new audit.
9. Your progress is automatically saved in localStorage, so you can close the browser and resume later.