#  ✎ Technique: Keyboard accessible links 

 



Links (`<a>` elements) are focusable by default, so it should normally be possible to activate them using the keyboard. However, under certain circumstances, they are not focusable: Unless you are deliberately trying to "disable" a link, make sure it does not take the form of any of these examples.

## Examples

### `href` removal

Sometimes `<a>` elements are used as if they're `<button>` elements, removing the `href` attribute because it is redundant. This will make the link unfocusable and inoperable by keyboard. Unless you want that to happen, don’t remove the `href`.

`<a>click me to execute JavaScript event</a>`

You can use the following CSS in your developer tools to highlight links that do not have an `href`. The CSS produces a red highlight around links that do not work using a keyboard.

`a:not([href]) {`  
`  border: 2px solid #c00;`  
`}`

### Inclusion of `tabindex="-1"`

You can control the focusability of any element with the `tabindex` attribute. The value `-1` will make the element unfocusable by the user. However, the element will still be focusable through JavaScript using the `focus()` method.

`<a href="path/to/url" tabindex="-1">I'm currently unfocusable</a>`



 



 

 See also:- [ Controls ](/accessibility-topics/controls)
- [ Links ](/accessibility-topics/links)
- [ Keyboard ](/access-technologies/keyboard)
- [ Speech recognition ](/access-technologies/speech-recognition)
- [ Switch-based input ](/access-technologies/switch-based-output)
- [ Custom widgets and controls ✎ ](/content/custom-widgets-and-controls)
- [ Keyboard ✎ ](/content/keyboard)
- [ Support keyboard interaction ✎ ](/content/support-keyboard-interaction)
- [ Operable ](/techniques/principles/operable)
- [ Blind ](/disabilities/blind)
- [ Motor impairment ](/disabilities/motor-impairment)
- [ HTML ](/web-technologies/html)
- [ JavaScript ](/web-technologies/javascript)
- [ Techniques ](/page-categories/techniques)