2.4.5

2.4.5 Multiple Ways

WCAG says:

More than one way is available to locate a Web page within a set of Web pages except where the Web Page is the result of, or a step in, a process.

When this is applicable

If a website is more than one page and has meaningful content.

Check ways to get to the page

Understand the structure of each set of web pages before checking:

• there are at least two ways to navigate to all the pages you are checking
• all navigation methods generally work

If you cannot find a second way, assume that it's a fail. It's up to the website owner to prove that there is a second way.

You should check:

• navigation, including breadcrumbs or sub navigation that appears when following pages
• sitemap - a homepage with links to all pages can count as a sitemap, as well as links in the footer
• search - it may not be practical to sift through every single page of search results, so it's best search for the exact page name

Other methods would also pass but are impractical to test for, for example links within body text.

Exceptions

• if pages are part of a process, for example where there are several pages in a sign up form, search results or result pages after a series of questions
• documents such as PDFs or Excel spreadsheets (as they are not "a web page")

Although not specified in WCAG, other exceptions might include:

• the homepage - this is often a navigational page, and most websites don't provide a second way to get to it, and it's usually the easiest page to find
• the start of a process where that start page is not understandable out of context - unfortunately, where a process starts can be subjective
• navigational pages or indexes, for example sitemaps, A to Z pages or topic pages

Mobile app testing

Use judgement over whether multiple ways are appropriate for the app.