Perceivable
1.4.1 Use of Color
Color cannot be the only way to show information, signal an action, or tell items apart.
Who it helps
People with color blindness or low vision.
Failures we see most
- Links in body text that differ from the surrounding text by color alone
- Form errors shown only by a red border
- Charts with color as the only key
How it gets tested
Our scanner runs this axe-core check for 1.4.1:
| Check | What it looks for |
|---|---|
link-in-text-block | Links must be distinguishable without relying on color |
Automated checks can find failures of 1.4.1, but they cannot confirm that a page passes. A specialist still reviews it by hand.
How we fix it
A specialist fixes this in your site's code or content, and we re-test the page before you sign off.
Official text: W3C, Understanding 1.4.1 Use of Color. Checks listed from axe-core 4.14.0.
Related criteria
Does your site fail 1.4.1?
Our free scan checks up to 50 of your pages and tells you which criteria fail and where.