How to fix scrollable region focusable on Shopify

Steps for Shopify

1. In your Shopify Admin, go to Online Store → Themes → click the three-dot menu next to your active theme → Edit code.
2. Identify the template or section file that contains the scrollable element (e.g. sections/product-template.liquid for a product description, or snippets/reviews.liquid for a reviews panel).
3. Locate the HTML tag that has overflow: scroll / overflow: auto in its inline style or in a CSS class, and add tabindex="0" and an aria-label attribute to that tag.
4. Open Assets → theme.css (or your main stylesheet) and add a :focus rule for that element: .your-scrollable-class:focus { outline: 2px solid #005fcc; }
5. Save the file, preview the theme, and verify with Tab-key navigation.

What is scrollable region focusable?

A "scrollable region" is any box on your page that shows a scrollbar — think a product description with a fixed height, a reviews panel, a custom dropdown list, or a map embed. When a visitor uses only a keyboard (Tab key) to navigate, they must be able to move focus into that box so they can scroll through its content. If the box itself is not reachable by keyboard, or contains no focusable element (like a link or button) that would pull focus inside it, the content is effectively hidden from anyone who cannot use a mouse. WCAG Success Criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard) requires that all functionality — including scrolling to read content — is operable without a mouse.

Keyboard accessibility directly affects an estimated 7–26 % of users who rely on keyboards, switch devices, or screen readers to navigate the web. If those users cannot reach a scrollable product description, image gallery, or terms-of-service box, they cannot read critical information that may influence a purchase — leading to lost conversions and abandoned carts. More importantly, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is referenced in accessibility laws including the ADA (US), the European Accessibility Act, and the UK Equality Act; failing this criterion exposes your business to legal complaints, lawsuits, and regulatory action. Accessibility auditors and automated scanners flag this issue, making it a liability that is easy to prove and hard to defend.

See the complete Scrollable region focusable guide for every platform and the full background.