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Pulseaccessibility

Viewport Does Not Disable Zoom

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.

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