Free tool
Shopify accessibility checker
Enter your store and we will scan your homepage and one product page against the automated WCAG 2.2 A and AA rules, then explain each issue and how to fix it in a Shopify theme.
Automated rules find only part of the problem. In Deque’s 2021 study of more than 2,000 of its own audits, its axe engine found 57.38% of issues by count. The rest took a person testing with a keyboard and a screen reader. This scan uses axe-core plus our own checks, so treat a clean result as a starting point, not a pass. No automated tool can tell you a store is compliant, and this one never will.
What we check
What the scan tests
We fetch your homepage and one product page (found through a homepage link or your public product feed), parse the HTML without running any of its scripts, and run two sets of checks on it.
axe-core WCAG rules
axe-core, a widely used open-source engine, runs its WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 A and AA rules on each page. We switch off the rules that need a rendered page, such as colour contrast and target size, rather than guess at them.
Our own Shopify checks
Patterns axe can’t judge from HTML alone: alt text that is a file name, skipped heading levels, autoplaying video, a skip link, an accessibility statement link, the Shopify theme in use, and scripts from accessibility overlay vendors.
Issues it can find
- Images with missing or file-name alt text
- Links and buttons with no text
- Form fields and dropdowns without labels
- Missing or invalid page language
- Missing page title
- Duplicate IDs that break labels
- Zoom disabled in the viewport tag
- Iframes without titles
- Invalid or misused ARIA
- Heading structure
- Autoplaying video without controls
- Accessibility overlay scripts
Not tested by this scan
- Colour contrast. Contrast depends on rendered CSS and images. WebAIM’s 2026 scan of a million home pages found low-contrast text on 83.9% of them, so check it with a browser tool or a manual audit.
- Keyboard use and focus. Whether a shopper can open the menu, pick a variant, add to cart and check out with a keyboard alone, and always see where focus is.
- Screen readers. How the store actually sounds in VoiceOver, NVDA or TalkBack, including cart drawers, pop-ups and error messages.
- Target size and layout. WCAG 2.2’s 24×24 px target size, zoom to 200% and 400%, and text spacing all need a rendered page.
- Content added by JavaScript. We read the HTML your server sends. Anything an app or the theme builds in the browser afterwards (reviews, pop-ups, chat) is not in this scan.
- Checkout and the rest of the store. We scan two pages. Collections, cart, search, account pages and Shopify’s checkout need testing too.
Next step
Get the issues a scan can’t see
Our Shopify accessibility audit tests your key templates against WCAG 2.2 AA by hand, with a keyboard and screen readers, and gives you a prioritised fix list split into theme, app and content work. We can then fix the theme code for you.
- Accessibility audit
- from $300 CAD
- Accessibility fixes
- from $800 CAD
Fixed prices, quoted after we see the store.
FAQ
Questions about Shopify accessibility scans
Can a free scan tell me if my Shopify store is ADA compliant?
No, and no scan can. The ADA has no regulation that sets technical web standards for businesses: the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidance says it “does not have a regulation setting out detailed standards” and points to WCAG as helpful guidance. This tool runs automated WCAG 2.2 A and AA rules, which find part of the issues. A manual audit finds the rest.
What does the checker test?
Your homepage and one product page. It runs axe-core’s WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 A and AA rules that work on HTML alone, plus our own checks for file-name alt text, heading structure, autoplaying video, a skip link, an accessibility statement link and accessibility overlay scripts. Issues are grouped by WCAG success criterion with fix advice written for Shopify themes.
Why doesn’t it test colour contrast or keyboard access?
Both need a real, rendered page: contrast depends on loaded CSS and images, and keyboard access depends on scripts running. We read the HTML without running it, so we list those checks as not tested instead of guessing. A manual audit covers them.
Does an accessibility overlay or widget make my store compliant?
No. An overlay adds a toolbar on top of your theme; it doesn’t change the code underneath. EcomBack’s 2026 mid-year report counted 496 of 2,045 tracked ADA website lawsuits in the first half of 2026 (24.25%) against sites that already had a widget. In April 2025 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission finalised a $1 million order against accessiBe that bars it from claiming its automated products can make a website WCAG-compliant without evidence.
Isn’t Shopify accessible already?
Shopify does not make your store accessible by default. Shopify’s own checkout conformance report (March 2026) lists 13 WCAG criteria as “Partially Supports” and says merchants are responsible for assessing their online store. Your theme, its customisations and your apps decide most of what shoppers meet.
My theme scores 90+ on Lighthouse. Am I fine?
Not necessarily. Shopify’s Theme Store asks for an average Lighthouse accessibility score of at least 90, but it claims no WCAG level, and Lighthouse is also an automated check. Deque’s 2021 study found its axe engine caught 57.38% of issues by count; the rest needed a person.
Which version of WCAG does it use?
WCAG 2.2, the current W3C version, which is also the international standard ISO/IEC 40500:2025. The scan runs the A and AA rules axe-core supports for 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2.
What does the scan access, and is it safe to run on my store?
It makes up to three ordinary page requests (plus any redirects) to public pages: your homepage, your public product feed when the homepage links to no product, and one product page. It never runs the store’s scripts, logs in or changes anything. Results are usually cached for an hour, so a repeat scan often doesn’t reach your store again.