How to enable Accessibility features in Visual Studio 2026

Visual Studio 2026 does not have a documented built-in HTML checker for WCAG 2.2; run the web app in Microsoft Edge and use Accessibility Insights for Web’s FastPass and Assessment workflows instead.

Test HTML against WCAG 2.2

1. Install Accessibility Insights for Web from https://accessibilityinsights.io/.
2. Start the web application from Visual Studio and open it in Microsoft Edge.
3. Open Accessibility Insights for Web from the browser extensions menu.
4. Run FastPass first. It performs quick automated checks for common, high-impact problems.
5. Correct the reported HTML, CSS, and interaction issues in Visual Studio.
6. Run Assessment for the page and complete its guided automated and manual tests. Assessment is the Microsoft-documented workflow for evaluating WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria.^1^
7. Repeat the assessment for every distinct page, state, dialog, and core user flow. Automated checks cannot find every accessibility problem, so keyboard, screen-reader, zoom, high-contrast, and interactive testing remain necessary.^1^

For an individual element, press F12 in Edge, select the Inspect tool, and hover over the element. The accessibility overlay reports:

• Text contrast
• Accessible Name and Role
• Whether the element is keyboard-focusable^2^

A typical corrected form might look like this:

<form>
  <label for="email">Email address</label>
  <input id="email"
         name="email"
         type="email"
         autocomplete="email"
         aria-describedby="email-help"
         required>
  <p id="email-help">Enter an address such as [Email].</p>
  <button type="submit">Create account</button>
</form>

Use native HTML elements and explicit labels before adding ARIA. Then retest the rendered page, because accessibility depends on the resulting DOM, styles, and runtime behavior—not only the source file.

Why the Visual Studio checker does not appear for HTML

The Integrated Accessibility Checker documented for Visual Studio scans running XAML desktop applications—WPF, UWP, WinUI 3, and MAUI through WinUI—not general HTML/web content. For those supported desktop projects, start debugging and select either:

• Show Accessibility Checker on the in-app toolbar, or
• Scan for Accessibility Issues in Live Visual Tree.

Results appear in the Accessibility Checker panel and can be rescanned after applying changes.^3^

Older documentation mentions Tools > Check Accessibility for HTML, but it links to a previous-version Visual Studio checker and does not establish current Visual Studio 2026 or WCAG 2.2 support.^4^

Visual Studio’s own accessibility settings

These settings make the IDE itself easier to use; they do not analyze the website for WCAG compliance:

• Tools > Options > Environment > Visual Experience: choose a theme, including extra-contrast or system settings.
• In Visual Studio 2026 18.11 or later, open Tools > Options and search for Fonts and Colors.
• Before 18.11, use Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and Colors to change editor font, size, foreground, and background colors.^5^

For repeatable delivery, add automated accessibility checks to pull requests or CI, fail builds for critical regressions, and retain manual keyboard and screen-reader validation for cases requiring human judgment.^6^

References

1. Resources for accessibility testing - Microsoft Edge Developer ...
2. Use the Inspect tool to detect accessibility issues by hovering over the webpage
3. Developing Accessible Apps with Visual Studio
4. Create accessible web resources (model-driven apps) - Power Apps
5. Change fonts, colors, and themes in Visual Studio
6. Accessibility testing