Rule library Text alternatives

Frames must have an accessible name

frame-titleWCAG 2.0 A

Ensure <iframe> and <frame> elements have an accessible name

Who this affects

Embedded frames (videos, maps, payment widgets) have no title, so screen reader users hear "frame" with no context.

How to fix it

Add a title attribute describing the frame's content.

Effort Low · ~5 min per frame

Before and after

Fails

<iframe src="https://player.example.com/9f2"></iframe>

Passes

<iframe src="https://player.example.com/9f2"
        title="Product walkthrough video"></iframe>

Where this sits in the standard

WCAG success criterionLevelEN 301 549 clause
4.1.2 Name, Role, ValueA301-549, 9.4.1.2

EN 301 549 clause 9 applies these criteria to web content. The published version referenced by the European Accessibility Act is V3.2.1, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 level A and AA. More on the standard.

How to check it by hand

Turn images off in the browser, or run the page through a screen reader and listen to the image announcements. If you hear a file name, a hash, or nothing where something meaningful should be, the alternative is missing. Ask of every image: if this were removed, what would the reader need told?

Automated testing settles roughly a third of the WCAG success criteria. This rule is one an automated tool detects reliably — but a clean automated result is not proof of conformance.

Reference

Deque's technical write-up for this rule: frame-title

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