Zooming and Scaling Must Not Be Disabled
- December 7, 2025
- Accessibility, Mobile and Viewport
Quick Reference
Element Code: AC-005
Issue: Viewport meta tag prevents users from zooming the page
Impact: Users with low vision cannot enlarge content, WCAG failure
Fix: Remove maximum-scale, minimum-scale, and user-scalable=no
Detection: axe DevTools, Lighthouse, View Page Source
What Is This Issue?
Some developers disable zoom to prevent users from accidentally zooming or to maintain specific layouts. However, this creates a significant accessibility barrier for users who need to enlarge content to read it.
Problematic Viewport Settings
Correct Viewport Setting
Why This Matters
- Low Vision Users: Need to zoom to 200-400% to read content
- WCAG Requirement: Success Criterion 1.4.4 requires text resize to 200%
- Mobile Users: May need to zoom on small screens
How to Fix This Issue
- Find Viewport Tag: Search for "viewport" in your HTML head
- Remove Restrictions: Delete maximum-scale, minimum-scale, user-scalable
- Test Zoom: Verify users can pinch-zoom on mobile devices
TL;DR (The Simple Version)
Your page prevents users from zooming. This is an accessibility problem for people with low vision. Remove maximum-scale and user-scalable=no from your viewport meta tag.
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