1.4.4 Resize Text

Many people increase text size in their browser settings as a daily accessibility adjustment. If a site breaks when text is enlarged, it becomes unusable for those users.

The requirement is that text can be resized to 200 per cent of its default size without loss of content or functionality. Content does not have to remain identical at 200 per cent, but everything must still be accessible and usable.

Use relative units for font sizes: rem, em, or % rather than px. This allows text to scale with browser settings.

Test at 200 per cent browser zoom in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Check that no text is truncated, no buttons are hidden, no overlapping occurs, and all interactive elements remain usable.

Avoid fixed-height containers that clip text when it grows. Use min-height instead of height.

• Text sized in pixels that does not scale when browser font size is increased
• Fixed-height containers that clip overflowing text at larger sizes
• Navigation menus that collapse or break at 200 per cent text size

Browser zoom (which scales everything including images and layout) is different from text-only zoom (which scales just the text). This criterion covers text resize, not full page zoom. Some browsers only offer full page zoom now, but the intent remains: text must be enlargeable without breaking the experience.