Where did you install Firefox from? Help Mozilla uncover 3rd party websites that offer problematic Firefox installation by taking part in our campaign. There will be swag, and you'll be featured in our blog if you manage to report at least 10 valid reports!

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Navigate website with keyboard tab key

  • 4 cavab
  • 0 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by zeroknight

more options

I am not able to navigate websites per the ADA Accessibility requirements using my FireFox browser. I have tested the same websites in Chrome and the TAB key is working correctly, but in my instance of Firefox it does not. I have a colleague who tested the same website in their Firefox browser and they are not experiencing a problem navigating the website using their keyboard TAB key.

I am on a Mac with most recent FF installed. Colleague was on a PC and tested in FF.

How can I get FF to work correctly on my Mac?

I am not able to navigate websites per the ADA Accessibility requirements using my FireFox browser. I have tested the same websites in Chrome and the TAB key is working correctly, but in my instance of Firefox it does not. I have a colleague who tested the same website in their Firefox browser and they are not experiencing a problem navigating the website using their keyboard TAB key. I am on a Mac with most recent FF installed. Colleague was on a PC and tested in FF. How can I get FF to work correctly on my Mac?

All Replies (4)

more options

See:

The accessibility.tabfocus pref may not exist by default, if you want to use this pref instead of the system settings, you need to create a new Number pref with name 'accessibility.tabfocus' and value '7' (tab through all the fields).

  • about:config => accessibility.tabfocus => 7

You can open the about:config page via the location/address bar. On the warning page, you can click "Accept the Risk and Continue" to open about:config.

more options

Thank you! The browser about:config setting fixed the issue.

I hope that this becomes a default FF setting on mac installs so that accessibility users can easily navigate websites using their keyboard. There has been a push for web developers to build websites that are ADA accessible/compliant, and if the browser does not natively support keyboard navigation, those users with accessibility issues may have a difficult time navigating those websites using FF.

Chrome has keyboard TAB navigation enabled by default.

Thanks again for your help. :)

more options

Firefox follows the Mac System preferences setting.

  • [13]:System Settings -> Keyboard -> "Keyboard navigation"
  • [12]:System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> "Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls"

This might change in future Firefox versions.

  • 1843669 - Consider changing the default macOS focus behaviour to include links and form controls

(please do not comment in bug reports
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html
)

more options

It's exposed in the settings in version 117+ on Mac as "Use the tab key to move focus between form controls and links" (Bug 1628476).