FIVE SECONDS
Longer loops need a pause
Under WCAG 2.2.2, moving content that starts automatically, lasts more than 5 seconds and sits alongside other content needs a way to pause, stop or hide it.
Check a moving imageMOVING IMAGES, MADE KINDER
Let people
stop the loop.
A GIF that never stops is fun for some and hard for others.
5 SECONDS then give a pause
32% Share of GIFs that were animated
- Pause, stop or hide
- Three flashes a second, tops
- Respect reduced motion
- Motion everyone can live with
MDN warns that some animations, such as scaling or panning large objects, can trigger discomfort for people with vestibular motion disorders. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines set a few clear limits, and browsers now let people ask for less motion.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Short, stoppable,
and never flashy.
Three rules cover most moving images.
They come from WCAG, the web's accessibility standard.
REDUCED MOTION
People can ask for less
Devices have a setting to minimise non-essential motion, and websites can detect it with prefers-reduced-motion, available across browsers since January 2020.
What to do
PUBLIC SECTOR
A legal standard in the UK
UK public sector websites and apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement. At least 1 in 5 people in the UK have a long-term illness, impairment or disability.
Who it coversA QUICK MOTION CHECK
What is
moving?
Pick the kind of moving content to see what WCAG says about it. The bar shows how much the guidelines ask you to do.
Based on WCAG 2.2 success criteria as summarised by MDN Web Docs, and MDN's guide to prefers-reduced-motion.
FOUR HABITS FOR MOVING IMAGES
Keep the fun,
lose the trap.
Whether you run a website, a newsletter or a blog, these habits follow the WCAG criteria and MDN's guidance.
Keep it under five seconds
A short animation that stops by itself does not need extra controls.
Add a pause control for longer loops
If it runs longer and sits beside other content, let people pause, stop or hide it.
Honour reduced motion
Use prefers-reduced-motion to remove, reduce or replace non-essential animation for people who have asked for less.
Never flash more than three times a second
Check any flashing part of a GIF or video stays at or below three flashes per second.
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Plenty of loops,
plenty of people.
One figure on how common animated GIFs are,
one on who accessibility rules protect.
32%
Share of GIFs that were animated
On mobile pages crawled in 2024, about a third of GIFs were animated. The median animated GIF had 12 frames; at the 90th percentile it had 60 on mobile.
ANIMATED GIFS · WEB ALMANAC 2024
1 in 5
People in the UK with a long-term condition or disability
GOV.UK says at least 1 in 5 people in the UK have a long-term illness, impairment or disability, and many more have a temporary disability.
DISABILITY · GOV.UK
The Web Almanac also found animated GIFs far heavier per pixel than still ones: a median of 32.6 bits per pixel against 3.5 for non-animated GIFs.
WHO HAS TO DO THIS
Required for some,
good for all.
The accessibility regulations came into force for UK public sector bodies on 23 September 2018. Their websites and apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement explaining how accessible they are.
Beyond the public sector, GOV.UK notes that all UK service providers have a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland.
Questions
Questions people ask
Are animated GIFs bad for accessibility?
Not in themselves. Problems come from motion that runs on with no way to stop it, from fast flashing, and from large zooming or panning effects. WCAG sets limits for each of these.
What is the five-second rule?
WCAG 2.2.2 says moving or blinking content that starts automatically, lasts more than 5 seconds and is shown alongside other content should have controls to pause, stop or hide it, unless the motion is essential.
What does prefers-reduced-motion do?
It lets a website detect that someone has turned on their device's setting to minimise non-essential motion, so the site can remove, reduce or replace animations. It has worked across browsers since January 2020.
Do UK websites have to follow WCAG?
Public sector websites and apps must meet WCAG 2.2 AA under the accessibility regulations. All UK service providers must make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
How common are animated GIFs?
In the 2024 Web Almanac, 32% of GIFs on mobile pages were animated, with a median of 12 frames.
Where the facts come from
Updated