Ensure <meta http-equiv="refresh"> Is Not Used for Delayed Refresh

An HTML document must not use <meta http-equiv=”refresh”> because it can prevent control over when a refresh occurs.

Why It Matters

When a page refreshes automatically, it can be disorienting. Refreshing also moves the programmatic focus back to the top of the page, which is frustrating for disabled users.

Fixing the Issue

Remove the http-equiv=”refresh” attribute from each meta element in which it is present.

If the purpose of the <meta> element is to refresh the page, this should be handled using JavaScript. Additional scripting should be used to provide users with the ability to pause the refresh, extend the time between refreshes, or to turn the refresh off entirely.

Bad Code Example

Test Cases

For more examples, visit W3C’s GitHub’s ATC Rules library.