What this criterion requires
All non-text content - images, icons, charts, image buttons, CAPTCHAs - must have a text alternative that serves the same purpose. Purely decorative images must be marked so assistive technology can skip them.
Who it helps
People using screen readers, people with images disabled or on failing connections, and search engines all rely on the text alternative.
Example: fails vs passes
<img src="chart-q3.png"><img src="chart-q3.png" alt="Q3 revenue chart: up 18% to $2.4M">The alt text conveys what the image is FOR, not what it looks like. Decorative images get alt="" instead.
How to meet and fix it
- Write alt text that conveys the purpose of the image, not its appearance ("Search" rather than "magnifying glass icon")
- Give decorative images an empty alt attribute (alt="") so they are ignored
- For complex charts, provide a nearby text summary or data table
- Offer alternatives to CAPTCHA (audio option at minimum)
Common failures auditors find
- Missing alt attributes on meaningful images
- Filename-as-alt ("IMG_0142.jpg")
- Icon buttons with no accessible name
Automated scanning catches a share of these instantly - run a free check - and a manual audit covers the judgement calls a tool cannot make.
In PDF documents
Every meaningful image in a PDF needs alternate text on its Figure tag (set in the tag tree, not the file name), and decorative graphics must be marked as Artifacts so screen readers skip them. Untagged scans are images of an entire page - see WCAG for PDFs.
Check any document against this and 80+ more automated checks with the free PDF accessibility checker.
- W3C, Understanding 1.1.1: Non-text Content - w3.org/WAI
- W3C, How to Meet 1.1.1 (quick reference) - w3.org/WAI/quickref
Last updated . Reviewed by the EqualWeb accessibility team.
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