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ARTICLE: Avoid using access keys

Date: 2007-04-11
In this brief article Matthew Newton looks at the way access keys are inteded to be used and their utilization in current major browsers.

Access Keys:

Access keys are in page keyboard shortcuts that activate links. They can be useful for disabled users that struggle to use the mouse and wish to use the keyboard to activate links.

There is for good reason NOT to use access keys. Whilst they remain a good idea and good effort to aid disabled users, they are shortsighted in that they clash with functionality built into common browsers.

Access keys are usually accessed by pressing “Alt + (letter)” where (letter) is the particular access key programmed. Browsers often have their own keyboard shortcuts accessible by access keys.

For example:
In Internet Explorer and most other browsers.
Alt+D will activate the address bar.
Alt+F activates the File menu.
Alt+E activates the Edit menu.
Alt+V activates the View menu.
Alt+A activates the Favourites menu.
Alt+T activates the Tools menu.
Alt+H activates the Help menu.

If an access key for the “home” link is on a page and is set as “H”, then it will clash with the browsers keyboard shortcut key for the Help menu.

“No problem” you might think, “just don't use keys already in use”. Trouble is when you look at all the keyboard shortcuts in all browsers and their versions, then factor in screen readers there are only 3 keys that are safe to use as access keys.

It might be considered safe to clash with inbuilt browsers accessibility where the audience is known. For example, if you are certain all sites visitors are going to be using Internet Explorer you may not mind clashing with accessibility on Firefox or other browsers. But no such assumption is made by this sites author.

To see examples of such clashes you may load the clash example page. Try pressing Alt+H on this page and observe the browsers Help menu open. Now load the clash example page and try pressing Alt+H again.

The clashes disable browser functionality. This is considered more disruptive and annoying for keyboard navigating users than the absence of access keys altogether.

Instead a properly numbered tab index order allows keyboard users to cycle through all links in a logical order until they find the one they wish to select.