Skip to content
Back to Learn
Pulseaccessibility

Viewport Does Not Disable Zoom

Ensure the viewport meta tag allows users to zoom in.

What This Audit Checks

This audit verifies that the <meta name="viewport"> tag does not include user-scalable="no" and does not set maximum-scale to a value less than 5. Both restrictions prevent users from zooming in on content.

Why It Matters

Users with low vision rely on pinch-to-zoom to enlarge text and interface elements. Disabling zoom forces them to read content at a size that may be illegible, effectively locking them out of your site.

How to Fix It

  • Remove user-scalable=no from your viewport meta tag.
  • Remove or increase maximum-scale to at least 5, or omit it entirely.
  • Keep width=device-width and initial-scale=1 for responsive behavior without restricting zoom.
<!-- Bad: disables user zoom -->
<meta name="viewport"
  content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=no, maximum-scale=1" />

<!-- Good: allows zoom -->
<meta name="viewport"
  content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />

How Pulse Tracks This

Pulse flags this audit in your Lighthouse accessibility score. When the audit fails, Pulse shows which elements triggered it so you can fix them directly.

Resources