aria-activedescendant attribute (aria)
Screen Reader support level: partial (33/38)
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About this feature
Identifies the currently active element when DOM focus is on a composite widget, textbox, group, or application.
Age of results
Results across all tests for this feature range from 2 years ago to 5 years ago. Detailed dates and version information can be found in associated tests.
Caution
Failing or partial results may be out of date. The oldest result is from 5 years ago. Consider running the associated tests and contributing results.
Expectations
Screen Reader support by expectation
| Expectation | JAWS | Narrator | NVDA | Orca | TalkBack | VoiceOver (iOS) | VoiceOver (macOS) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Edge | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Firefox | Chrome | Safari | Safari | |
| MUST convey the referenced element as active | supported | supported | supported | some partial support | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | partial (1/2) |
| MUST convey when the referenced element changes | supported | supported | supported | partial (1/2) | supported | supported | supported | supported | not applicable | not applicable | partial (1/2) |
Expectation: convey the referenced element as active
Rationale:
A screen reader user needs to be aware of which descendant is currently active
Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:
- Screen Readers: MUST
- Voice Control: NA
Examples:
- When navigating to an element with this attribute, screen readers will also announce the referenced element
| Test | JAWS | Narrator | NVDA | Orca | TalkBack | VoiceOver (iOS) | VoiceOver (macOS) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Edge | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Firefox | Chrome | Safari | Safari | |
| APG Editable Combobox With List Autocomplete Example applied to: combobox role | supported | supported | supported | partial | supported | supported | supported | supported | not applicable | not applicable | none |
| APG Actions Menu Button Example Using aria-activedescendant applied to: menu role | supported | supported | supported | none | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported |
Expectation: convey when the referenced element changes
Rationale:
A screen reader user needs to be aware of which descendant is currently active
Strength of this expectation for different types of assistive technologies:
- Screen Readers: MUST
- Voice Control: NA
Examples:
- When navigating within an element with this attribute, screen readers will also announce the referenced element as the reference changes
| Test | JAWS | Narrator | NVDA | Orca | TalkBack | VoiceOver (iOS) | VoiceOver (macOS) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Edge | Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Firefox | Chrome | Safari | Safari | |
| APG Editable Combobox With List Autocomplete Example applied to: combobox role | supported | supported | supported | partial | supported | supported | supported | supported | not applicable | not applicable | none |
| APG Actions Menu Button Example Using aria-activedescendant applied to: menu role | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | supported | not applicable | not applicable | supported |