Accessible SVG Icons (roles, labels, when to hide)

In this guide you’ll learn when an SVG icon should be hidden from assistive tech versus announced with a label, how to apply ARIA roles and labels, and how to add SVG <title>/<desc> for accessible names. You’ll also see how to export clean, themable SVGs from Axialis IconVectors that drop right into accessible markup.

Decorative vs informative icons

• Decorative: does not add information (pure ornament). Hide it from the accessibility tree.
• Informative: conveys meaning not provided elsewhere (status, action, warning). Expose it with a clear accessible name.

Export a clean, themable SVG from IconVectors

1. Open or create your icon:
   • File → Open… (Ctrl+O) or New Icon (Ctrl+N).
   • Prefer a simple path‑based icon; set fills/strokes to currentColor for easy theming.

   

Pattern 1 — Decorative SVG (hide from AT)

For purely visual icons, remove them from the accessibility tree so screen readers don’t announce noise.

<!-- Decorative icon next to text -->
<p>
  <svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <path d="M4 12 9 17 20 6" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/>
  </svg>
  Settings updated
</p>

• Use aria-hidden="true" so the icon is ignored by assistive tech.
• Add focusable="false" to keep the SVG out of the tab order in legacy/edge cases.

Pattern 2 — Informative inline SVG with role & label

When the icon conveys meaning, give it an accessible name (short) and an optional long description.

<!-- Informative icon announced as "Warning" -->
<svg role="img" aria-labelledby="warn-title warn-desc" width="20" height="20"
     viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
  <title id="warn-title">Warning</title>
  <desc id="warn-desc">Triangle with exclamation mark</desc>
  <path d="M12 3 2 21h20L12 3zm0 6v6m0 4h.01" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/>
</svg>

• Use role="img" on the outer <svg> and reference <title> (short name) and optional <desc> via aria-labelledby.
• Keep the name concise. If nearby text already names the icon, you can reference that element’s id instead.

Pattern 3 — Icon‑only buttons/links

Interactive controls need an accessible name. Put the label on the button/link and hide the icon.

<button type="button" aria-label="Close dialog" class="icon-btn">
  <svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24">
    <path d="M6 6 18 18M6 18 18 6" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"/>
  </svg>
</button>

• The focus remains on the button/link; the SVG should not be focusable.
• Prefer aria-label or visible text (e.g., “Close”) for the control’s accessible name.

Pattern 4 — External SVG files via <img>

When using <img src="icon.svg">, supply the meaning using alt. Use an empty alt for decorative images.

<!-- Informative: announced as "Download" -->
<img src="/icons/download.svg" width="20" height="20" alt="Download">

<!-- Decorative: ignored by AT -->
<img src="/icons/starburst.svg" width="20" height="20" alt="">

Pattern 5 — SVG sprites with <use>

For sprite references, the <svg> wrapper gets the ARIA.

<!-- Decorative sprite use -->
<svg aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" class="icon"><use href="#icon-check" /></svg>

<!-- Informative sprite use -->
<svg role="img" aria-label="New notifications" class="icon"><use href="#icon-bell" /></svg>

Keyboard focus rules (quick recap)

• Icons themselves are not focusable unless interactive. Keep focus on the control (button/link).
• Use focusable="false" on inline SVGs to avoid stray focus in legacy engines; don’t add tabindex to decorative icons.

Checklist

• Decorative → aria-hidden="true", focusable="false".
• Informative → role="img" + label (aria-label or <title>/<desc> with aria-labelledby).
• Icon‑only controls → put the name on the control, hide the icon.
• Export minified from IconVectors and use currentColor for flexible theming.